Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Space
by HiddenLayer5
Summary: A crossover between Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and Star Trek: Voyager. One fateful day, Almond the Vulpix loses her footing while exploring a mystery dungeon and falls through a spatial anomaly. She finds herself in a different dimension, on the Federation Starship Voyager, a starship full of humans who, just like her, want to get home.
1. Chapter 1: Anomaly

Author's note: This is one of my first fanfiction stories, but I have done some writing in the past. I would appreciate some feedback and suggestions.

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"You know, in all our years of exploring I can't believe we've never entered this mystery dungeon before!", Almond the Vulpix said to her partner, Quartz the Rattata.

"Come to think of it, you're right! Let's rectify that.", the rodent Pokemon replied as the pair entered a large cave. With its entrance obscured by trees and a small hill, the exploration team quickly disappeared from sight. Large, iridescent crystals protruded from the roof of the cave, refracting the small amount of light from the entrance into countless beams scattered throughout the dungeon. A few of the crystals even appeared to give off light of their own.

"It's beautiful!", said Almond, "What do you think they're made of?"

"It's hard to tell, but I wonder if the guildmaster will let us take some and hang them in our room."

After some distance, the light in the cave dimmed, prompting Almond ignite a small flame from her mouth so they could see. Eventually, they reached a point in the cave where the ground beneath them took a sharp drop. Strangely, they could see light flickering at the bottom of the valley. A brilliant white shine emanated from what seemed looked like a single point, like a lone star in the night. Carefully, they descended, being careful to watch where their paws landed.

"Watch out!", Quartz shouted as the loose rock that Almond had stepped on gave way. She struggled to regain her footing as she tumbled down the steep incline. Quartz coasted down after her, trying his hardest not to lose his footing as well. As they descended, they caught a clear view of the source of the light: a flat, roughly circular disk that appeared to be floating in mid air. The center was a piercing white while the edges flickered erratically. The last thing Almond heard was her partner calling her franticly before she disappeared into the anomaly with a bright flash. Her vision turning completely white, then black.

"Report!", captain Janeway instructed as she entered the bridge.

"Sensors show a clear path straight ahead.", Tom Paris said in a laid-back tone.

"There's a Class M planetoid five lightyears off our port bow, it's uninhabited, and might contain dilithium." Harry Kim added.

"Run more scans when we get within range." Janeway said as she took her chair.

"Captain, I am reading a power surge on deck three, section five." Tuvok stated.

"A malfunction?" Janeway asked.

"The phenomenon seems to be naturally occurring.", as Tuvok finished, an explosion shook the ship, followed by a cacophony of alarms.

"Captain? I'm detecting an alien life sign at the site of the power surge!", Harry Kim shouted.

"Red Alert! Seal off that area and send a security team!", Janeway responded.

Almond strained to keep her balance as her paws suddenly found themselves on a metallic floor in the middle of a long corridor. She winced as a piercing pain rung through her head.

"W… Where am I? Where's Quartz?", she managed to say. In the distance, footsteps could be heard approaching, and soon, she could see tall figures rounding the corner toward her.

Almond immediately turned around in an attempt to avoid the creatures, but soon hit a wall that she could not see. Sharp pain raced through her front paws as they made contact with the wall, causing flashes of light to appear. She tried to run in the other direction, but was stopped by another invisible wall. Almond whimpered as the creatures now approached from both sides. They walked on two legs, and in their hands held grey, oblong devices. With a flash, both walls disappeared as the creatures surrounded her.

"Alien life form, you had no permission to board this vessel!", the lead creature said as it raised the device it was holding, pointing it to her head. Several other creatures did the same. They were closing, with some seeming ready to capture her. In desperation, Almond turned her body toward the lead creature, took a small step back, and used Ember. A fireball took shape from her mouth and flew toward the creature, which screamed as it was knocked to the ground. Almond turned toward another one of the creatures, but before she could attack, a beam of light emanating from one of the creatures' devices struck her in the back of the head, causing her to collapse.


	2. Chapter 2: A Proper First Contact

"How's the alien?" Captain Janeway asked the Doctor.

"Unconscious, but not seriously harmed."

"What have you learned about its physiology?"

"I've run a through bioscan, and it's unlike anything I've ever seen before. Though it may look like a lower lifeform with its quadruped body, a scan of its brain reveals that it is extremely intelligent, matching or possibly exceeding the intelligence of an average human. It also has a peculiar organ in its thoracic cavity which secretes and stores a highly volatile fluid, with a tubule leading to its mouth. At rest, the fluid fuels a flame that is constantly burning within the organ, which was likely responsible for our... friend's little performance in pyrotechnics. Parts of its body is over 150 degrees Celsius and the flame generating organ can reach ten times that. To cope with these high temperatures, it has evolved to secrete special chemicals to prevent the water in its body from boiling. Its skin acts as an insulator, preventing the heat from escaping. Nevertheless, it is quite warm to the touch."

"Incredible…", Janeway gasped.

"What's even more incredible is its DNA. Each cell contains two completely separate genomes, with one genome supressed by attached inhibitor molecules. I predict that under the right conditions, this alien can switch between the two genomes, changing its appearance and physiology nearly instantaneously."

"Create a level ten containment field around the surgical bay, and revive it.", Janeway told the Doctor. Light flashed for an instant at the entrance to the surgical bay as the Doctor loaded a hypospray, and injected a stimulant into the alien.

"Wh… Where am I?" Almond asked nervously as she awoke.

"You're on the Federation Starship Voyager.", Janeway introduced, "I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway and this is our Chief Medical Officer."

"Y… You're a human!"

Janeway sounded surprised, "You know about humans?"

"Yeah? There was a human who…"

"Let's continue this conversation later. Now, what I really want to know is who are you and why have you boarded my ship?", Janeway said sternly.

"My name is Almond and I'm a Vulpix. I… I was exploring a cave, and I fell into some kind or portal, and the next thing I know I was here. Where's Quartz? Where's my partner?!"

"I don't know anything about your partner, but you say you fell through a portal? And you're an explorer?"

"Y… Yeah. We… my partner and I are members of Wigglytuff's guild, and we were exploring a mystery dungeon when I lost my footing trying to climb down a valley, and I fell into this disk thing."

"The portal?"

Almond nodded.

"And your partner?"

"I don't know, I'm not sure if he fell in as well, but I hope he's alright.", Almond sounded even more worried than before.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you, but you attacked one of my crewmen, so we had to stun you and bring you here."

"He has third degree burns covering over seventy percent of his body. He was in an extreme amount of pain and almost didn't survive.", the Doctor added.

"I… I'm sorry! I was scared and I panicked! I didn't know it would hurt him that much but I guess humans are less resilient than Pokemon, and… and….", Almond stammered, tears forming in her eyes.

"I understand. You were afraid, so you acted in self defence. If I were in your position, I would probably have done the same thing.", Janeway comforted her.

"And I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that the crewman in question will make a full recovery, thanks to yours truly.", the Doctor added.

"So what's going to happen to me?", Almond asked, still afraid that she will be punished for harming the human.

"That's up to you. I have no intention of keeping you aboard Voyager against your will, and I'm sure you want to get home, and see if your partner is okay.", Janeway said.

Almond nodded.

"However, if you wish to stay aboard, I'm sure something can be arranged, perhaps until you find a way to get home."

"Really? I don't want to be a bother."

"You could become a valuable member of this crew, if you wish, of course."

"So I really can stay?"

Janeway nodded.

"Yeah, I'd like that, at least until I get my bearings. Thank you, guildmaster… I mean, captain."

Janeway smiled, "You're welcome."

"I guess, since I'm here, could I help with anything?", Almond said, somewhat excitedly.

"You should rest for now.", the Doctor replied, "I'd like to keep you under observation at least for tonight, make sure your physiology is adapting to our environment. Get some sleep."

Almond nodded.

"One last thing…", the captain said, "I'm curious about your species and where you came from. Would you mind telling me more about you and your home? You also used two different words to describe your kind: 'Vulpix' and 'Pokemon'. How do they relate?"

"Well, I'm a Vulpix, which is the name of my species, and 'Pokemon' is, I guess the higher biological classification that encompasses nearly all of the creatures where I come from. I'm from Treasure Town, a place inhabited by only Pokemon, but I'm not sure how to get there from here. I'm nineteen years old and an explorer at Wigglytuff's guild, a place where Pokemon work to explore the world and help other Pokemon. I mostly explore mystery dungeons with my partner, Quartz. It's hard to describe what a mystery dungeon is, but I guess it's a place where the laws of physics are different and where all kind of unusual and fascinating things happen. They're amazing places to explore but they can also be dangerous if you're unprepared. Sometimes we even find treasure!"

"Fascinating. Thank you, Almond. Now, like the Doctor said, why don't you get some rest. It will help your mind to settle.", Janeway said as she left sickbay.

To her own surprise, Almond actually managed to sleep mostly through the night. She had expected to be awake and thinking about how she got here, and what she was going to do now, but she was so exhausted from everything that's happened that she fell asleep fairly quickly. When she awoke, she half expected to find herself in her bed at the guild, but instead she saw the same surgical bay the she had been in, the doctor typing into a grey, flat device.

"I guess this isn't a dream after all.", she thought to herself. She hesitated for a few minutes, before alerting the Doctor that she was awake.

"Ah, good morning!", the Doctor greeted her as he turned on the lights, "How did my favorite Pokemon sleep last night?"

"I slept fine, thank you!" Almond smiled as she sat up from the bed.

"The captain and I took the liberty last night of informing the crew about you. If you'd like to walk around, meet a few of them, I'd be glad to accompany you."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you!", Almond replied, feeling nervous but also a little excited. She prepared to jump off the biobed, but hesitated slightly after seeing how high up off the ground it was. Seeing this, the Doctor grabbed hold of her front paw as he helped her lower herself onto the ground.

"Let's first stop by Astrometrics, where Seven of Nine has done some research into the phenomenon that brought you here. The captain has asked that you be there when she reports her findings. After that, I believe a trip to the mess hall is in order. You can get some food and meet lots of new faces."

As the two reached the sickbay door, it slid open in response. Almond was amazed by this, as she did not see any humans nearby to operate the door. Standing in the doorway after the Doctor had passed through it, she eyed the door curiously, wondering how it knew when to open and what kind of technology allowed it to move. Suddenly, the door began to close, causing Almond to jump. She quickly leaped out of the threshold, narrowly avoiding having one of her six tails pinched.

"You okay?", the Doctor asked.

"I'm fine. It's just… I've never seen this before!"

Almond followed the doctor to Astrometrics, to the surprise of both of them, her four paws easily kept up with the Doctor's walking pace. Nevertheless, the fox Pokemon looked out of place in a hallway designed for humans, with many of the buttons and consoles being far out of her reach. They soon entered a dimly lit room with a large screen on the far wall, which displayed a multitude of graphs, tables and other data that Almond could not understand. In the background, the screen showed a brilliant field of stars. Almond wondered what all this meant but her ponderings were soon cut short as she was greeted by the captain and a female human that she had not seen before.

"Almond. Species: Vulpix, designation number unknown.", the human beside the captain stated, glancing over from what looked like a control panel that stood in the center of the astrometrics lab.

"Yep… that's me?"

"My name is Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One, but you may call me Seven of Nine, or Seven."

"It's nice to meet you… Seven.", Almond said nervously. She wondered how Seven of Nine had gotten her strange name, but didn't ask for fear it would offend or even anger her.

"I have completed a preliminary analysis of the anomaly that occurred at 1830 hours on deck three, section five. I discovered that the anomaly consisted of a theta-type tachyon displacement field with a moderate temporal phase shift. The phenomenon is consistent with the formation of a subspace rift, with its exit point in a different dimension."

"Incredible.", Janeway commented, "You're an extra-dimensional organism!"

"Yeah, I suppose I am." Almond replied, slightly bewildered by Seven's explanation. She eyed the gold haired human cautiously, who wore a strange metal apparatus above her right eye and a star-shaped metallic piece near her left ear. Almond was taken aback by her tone, as she sensed no emotion in her speech. She then turned her thoughts to what Seven had said.

"I'm in a different dimension? One with humans? How?", Almond thought silently, "And… 'temporal phase shift'? I remember something about how time was messed up many years ago, but I thought it was fixed! Does that mean that the time gears are still…"

"I will continue to research methods of reopening the subspace rift to your dimension, with the hopes that it will permit you to cross in order to return home.", Seven of Nine added, interrupting Almond's thoughts, "However, I am unsure of how long this may take or if it is even possible. Furthermore, due to the temporal phase shift, the rift may only allow passage in one direction. There is also a possibility that sending you back may cause damage to the temporal integrity of your dimension."

"Temporal integrity? Tacheon displacement field?", Almond thought as she took on a worried expression. Sensing this, the captain quickly jumped in: "I'm sure Seven will find a way. This isn't the first time we've dealt with spatial and temporal anomalies. It's best not to worry right now."

"Captain, if that is all, I would like to continue my research.", Seven of Nine stated.

"Dismissed.", Janeway stated.

"Now, Almond, what do you say we go to the mess hall?", the Doctor said.

As the two made their way to the mess hall, they came across many crew members. Some greeted Almond with bewilderment, some with a hint of fear, but many more either ignored her or responded with curiosity and friendliness, even waving to her or saying hi. Almond eyed the passing humans cautiously. Before today, she only had only known humans from stories and legends, and until today only had a vague sense of what they looked like based on drawings and written descriptions. All of the creatures she saw looked vaguely human: they were tall, walked on two legs, and had hair on the top of their heads. However, some of the creatures looked less human than others. One had blue skin, while another had a distinctive wrinkle on her nose. The humans' clothing were another oddity as they looked nearly identical, save for a few differences in color.

"Could this be a human guild?", she wondered, "Or maybe it's just where they live, their town?"

Almond wanted to ask the doctor these questions, but was nervous to, fearing that she would come off as offensive or bothersome. As they were nearing their destination, the Doctor was called to report to sickbay, leaving a shy and nervous Almond to head to the mess hall alone.

"Why, I believe that's our newcomer!", Neelix announced as Almond entered the mess hall. Most of the crew in the mess hall turned to look at the Vulpix, making her take a nervous step back.

"I've been expecting you! My name is Neelix, by the way.", Neelix continued as Almond climbed onto a chair, "And I've whipped up something just for you!" Neelix brought out a plate with a piece of roast chicken and some gravy. Realizing that she was too short to sit comfortably in the chair, Almond leaped up onto the table. She sniffed the food item curiously, but a shocked look appeared on her face when she realized what it was.

"I-Is something wrong?", Neelix inquired.

"Th… This is meat!"

"It is! Judging by those sharp teeth of yours I assumed you're a carnivore, so I whipped you up some chicken! Y-You don't like it?"

"Well… I guess I'm technically a carnivore, but it's… it's just that where I come from we have decided that taking the life of another creature to feed yourself isn't okay…"

"Oh, well you don't have to worry about that on Voyager! See, we have something called a replicator, which creates matter from energy, so this technically isn't real meat from an animal. It's just chemicals specially formulated to exactly resemble meat."

"I… I don't know…"

"Try it! You might end up liking it and you can rest assured that you're not harming an animal!"

Almond grabbed hold of the knife Neelix had given her and cut a small piece from the roast chicken. Piercing it with a fork, she cautiously brought it up to her mouth, but shuddered in disgust when the piece touched her tongue.

Meanwhile, Tuvok had just entered the mess hall, and noticing Almond, walked up to her.

"Is there a problem?"

"Um… 'Neelix' asked me to try the 'chicken', but I have always been taught to never, ever eat meat because a creature has to be harmed to get it. He says this is 'fake' meat but…", Almond explained, and couldn't help but notice that the pointed ears of the creature she was speaking to.

"I understand. As a Vulcan, I too have a distaste for eating even replicated meat." Tuvok said as he took the plate from Almond's table, "I will replicate you some vegetables."


	3. Chapter 3: Making Connections

A door chime rang out in the small, mostly empty room, interrupting the calm, stable hum of the warp engines.

"Um… Come in?" Almond called out, and was greeted by Seven of Nine, pulling a large, wheeled crate.

"Almond. The captain asked me to help you initialize your new quarters.", Seven stated.

"Oh? Thank you!"

"We should begin.", Seven said as she opened the crate. Almond eyed Seven of Nine nervously, trying to find a hint of emotion behind the neutral expression she wore on her face. When Captain Janeway showed her to her new quarters and informed that someone would some to help her set it up, she was hoping for the Doctor, the captain herself, even Neelix! So far, Seven of Nine hadn't even smiled at her, nor have she frowned, leaving Almond to wonder if Seven was annoyed that she had appeared onboard, or if she was afraid of her, or maybe she just didn't like Vulpix in general, or even all Pokemon!

"Here are some bedsheets, and a pillow. I will also help you activate the replicator and computer system.", Seven reached for a spherical device in the crate.

"What's that?"

"An EPS relay. It provides power to the electrical systems. I will install it.", Seven of Nine said as she opened an access panel at the base of the wall.

"Need help?"

"No. Your knowledge of our technology is insufficient."

"Um… Okay…"

After a few seconds, a machine built into a nearby wall began to make noise, and a small screen on the opposite wall illuminated.

"The terminal at quarters 1102 has been connected to the primary computer. The replicator is online.", a robotic voice indicated, causing Almond to jump.

"Who's that?!"

"The ship's computer. It responds to commands from the crew and performs the majority of the calculations needed by Voyager."

Almond nodded, though she still wasn't sure what a "computer" is.

"When you came aboard, you brought several items with you.", Seven continued, "When the crew apprehended you, those items were taken to be inspected. I will now return them.", Seven stated as she reached into the crate.

"My Explorer Badge! And my Treasure Bag! Thank you!"

"Gratitude is irrelevant. Those items belonged to you."

Although still frightened by Seven's attitude, Almond reached into her treasure bag excitedly and retrieved a bright blue scarf. Wrapping it around her neck and clipping her explorer badge to it, she then retrieved an assortment of seeds and fruit.

"This is an Pecha berry.", Almond said as she held up a spotted pink fruit, "And this is an Oran berry! These are my favorite!", she continued, now holding up a bright blue fruit. Suddenly, her expression changed from excited to somber.

"I guess these might be the last ones I'll ever eat…"

"Not necessarily.", Seven stated, "We have technology onboard that can replicate nearly any type of matter. If you will allow me to analyze the perishables, I am confident that I will be able to program a replicator to produce them."

Almond's eyes brightened, though confused at Seven's sudden offer, "Really? Thank you! I'm sure the rest of the crew will love them too!", she said as she handed Seven the seeds and fruit.

"Now that your quarters have been sufficiently prepared, we should go see the captain. She has asked to meet with you in her ready room."

The two walked toward the ready room, with Almond being clouded by an uneasy feeling as Seven stared straight ahead as she walked, never once glancing at Almond or even at another member of the crew.

"At first I thought Seven didn't like me, but she did help me set up my quarters, and even offered to help make copies of my berries, now I don't know what to think. Maybe that's just the way she speaks, or maybe she doesn't like anyone?", Almond thought to herself. Before long, they had reached the ready room, and Almond was relieved when she finally saw the captain. The ready room was about the same size as Astrometrics, but it was much more well lit. The captain sat at a large desk in the center, and Seven motioned for Almond to sit at one of the chairs facing the captain. Almond obliged and climbed onto the chair, taking on a sitting position similar to any common canine. Looking around, Almond saw a large potted plant on a nearby shelf, and a variety technology scattered around the captain's desk.

"Almond, welcome! I have a few things to explain to you if you're going to be a passenger on this ship. Though you have already seen parts of the ship, I would also like to officially introduce you to Voyager."

Almond nodded curiously.

"Before I do that, do you have any questions about what you've seen so far?"

"Um… This might be a bit embarrassing, but what's a 'Federation Starship'?"

Janeway smiled, "In this dimension, humans belong to an alliance called the United Federation of Planets, or 'the Federation' for short. Think of it as 'Treasure Town', but encompassing thousands of planets and stars. There aren't just humans in the Federation, either, but life forms from other planets: Vulcans, Andorians, Bajorans, and many more."

"I remember meeting a 'Vulcan' in the mess hall."

"Yes, Lieutenant Commander Tuvok. He's our chief of security."

"He's… not human?"

"No, he's from a planet called Vulcan, while us humans are from Earth."

"So does 'starship' mean that we're flying through… space, right now?"

"Yes. We are in a part of our home galaxy called the Delta quadrant. Just like you, we are also explorers, with a continuing mission to explore and understand the galaxy. However, our ship was brought here by an alien against our will, thousands of lightyears from the Federation, which is in the Alpha Quadrant, and we have been trying to get home ever since."

"I'm… sorry this happened to you."

"No need to be sorry! We're excited that you could join us, at least until you get home. Like I said, we're explorers and it's been an amazing experience learning about the Delta quadrant!", Janeway said cheerfully, "Now, I have a question for you: when you woke up in the surgical bay, you correctly identified us as human. Does that mean that there are humans in your realm too?"

"Well, kind of? There are legends and fairy tales that speak of humans. We think they used to exist in our world, or maybe they still exist, but we've never found any. Also…"

"Also what?"

"This might sound ridiculous, but many years ago there was a Pokemon who was found just outside Treasure Town, and he claimed he used to be human. He's an explorer at Wigglytuff's guild too! I spoke to him on the day I fell through the 'subspace rift'!"

"And do you believe him?"

"I didn't at first, seeing how he said that he had supposedly lost his memories of his old life as a human, eventually I decided that it was plausible. As far as anyone could tell, he had never been sighted anywhere else before joining the guild and no record of his past could be found! I can't think of many reasons why a Pokemon would go out of his way to claim to be human, either, unless that was the truth."

"Well, if he is human, he may have been from this realm, which means it might be possible to use whatever process brought him to your world to send you back. If it can be done, I'm sure Seven of Nine will find a way."

Almond smiled.

"Now, I'd like you to know a few things about Voyager and this crew."

"Of course!"

"Voyager belongs to a Federation organisation called Starfleet, which sends starships on missions of exploration, and if necessary, to defend and protect the Federation."

"Like a guild?"

"Like a guild."

"What kind of exploration missions do you go on now?"

"Right now, our first priority is to get home, but along the way we have explored many, many planets, both uninhabited and those containing intelligent life. We've also had our share of spatial and temporal anomalies. However, we have a set of rules and regulations on what we can and cannot do when exploring, the most important one being the 'Prime Directive', which states that we cannot interfere with the natural development of any alien species or civilization. Now, that doesn't mean we can't interact with aliens, after all we took you aboard, but it just means we can't just go around changing and manipulating alien cultures to our liking."

"Sounds strict."

"It is, but these are the ideals that all members of the Federation, including humans, have determined to be the most ethical. I assume you can now access the main computer from your quarters, so if you're interested you can read about Starfleet's values and regulations."

Almond nodded, but still wore a bewildered expression.

"It might seem confusing right now, but as you get more familiar with our crew and what we do, it should become clearer. Now, I'd like to take you on a tour of the ship, introduce you to our crew. Is there any part of the ship you're curious about?"

"When I was walking with the Doctor, I saw a lot of really weird but cool looking machines. We've found ruins that were supposedly built by humans in our dimension, and I've always been curious of them. I've been wondering what the machines on your ship do and if I can see more."

"Certainly. I will show you some of the technology we have!"

Almond and the captain left the ready room, with Seven of Nine returning to Astrometrics. They first walked up to a large glass touchscreen in the hallway just outside the ready room. The panel lit up with a colorful pattern, comprising of buttons, graphs and other pieces of text.

"You'll find these consoles everywhere on the ship. They're all tied into the main computer and can be used to do anything from controlling the heating system to flying the ship.", Janeway explained. The captain pushed a small button on the panel and the door to the ready room slid closed, and with another button press the lights in a nearby section of corridor went out, then back on shortly after.

The captain then showed Almond many more pieces of technology, with Almond becoming more and more fascinated with the starship. Eventually, they made their way to Engineering, where she saw a large translucent cylinder extending from floor to ceiling, with what looked like blue and white flames swirling along the length of it.

"This is the heart and muscle of the ship, the warp core.", Janeway explained, "And this is the woman who keeps it running, our chief engineer…", Janeway called out, "B'Elanna?"

"Yes, captain?" a woman with dark hair and distinctive ridge pattern on her forehead emerged from behind the cylinder.

Janeway pointed to the Vulpix: "This is Almond, an extra-dimensional alien who is taking refuge on Voyager, at least until we can get her home."

"Okay? But why is she here?"

"Pardon?"

"Permission to speak freely, Captain?"

Janeway sighed, "Go ahead."

"We shouldn't let aliens we know nothing about into Engineering! What if she decides to sabotage our engines?"

Almond lowered her head in embarrassment.

"Maybe I'm just more trusting than you…", Janeway said, "but I don't think she's going to do that, and besides, I'm supervising her. Now, why don't you give our guest an explanation of how our warp systems work?"

"She's a fox.", B'Elanna retorted, "She probably wouldn't understand a thing!"

"B'Elanna…", Janeway said, "She's an intelligent organism, just like any of us."

B'Elanna huffed under her breath, "Well, we use matter and antimatter in the warp core to generate energy. This energy is then transferred to engines mounted on the outer hull, which manipulates spacetime in a way that allows us to travel extremely fast through space. Got any of that?"

Almond tilted her head, "I got most of it. So the thing in front of us is a power generator, and what moves the ship is on the outside? So that's how we can move through space?"

"Yeah.", B'Elanna huffed, before her attention was drawn by another crew member asking for her help.

"You'll have to forgive B'Elanna." Janeway said as they walked out of Engineering, "She's a great engineer, but she can be a bit… grumpy, at times."

As the pair made their way around the ship, Almond was shown room after room laden with machines and technology she never could have imagined of. She asked about it whenever she could, even though she didn't understand many of the explanations. She also met many more crew members, which, after her encounter with B'Elanna, she was uneasy about, but most turned out to be quite accommodating when she got curious and asked questions. Though at first some crew members thought she was just a regular, non-intelligent alien fox, but most quickly took on a professional attitude when the captain or herself explained otherwise. Almond's favorite parts of the ship were the replicators that could create anything in an instant, and the transporter, which was similar to the teleportation ability that her explorer badge gave her while in a mystery dungeon. She asked to try out the transport as soon as she saw it, her first trip being from the transporter platform to the other side of the room.

"Which finally brings us to the bridge, where we control the ship.", Janeway introduced as they entered.

"Captain on the bridge.", Tuvok stated.

"As ease. I'm just showing our guest around." The bridge crew, having already been briefed about Alomnd, greeted her with a mixture of curiosity and professionalism.

"Almond, you've already met Lieutenant Commander Tuvok. This is Commander Chakotay, my first officer, Lieutenant Tom Paris, our helmsman, and last but not least Ensign Harry Kim, our operations officer. Everyone, I've already told you about Almond."

"I can see the stars from here!", Almond gasped as she stared at the viewscreen mounted on the far wall.

"This region of space seems to be denser than usual.", Janeway commented, "We should be nearing an uninhabited planet soon. We thought we'd set down if it seems interesting."

Almond smiled.

"You said you're an explorer. You're welcome to join us if you'd like."

"I kind of want to. But…"

"I know the prospect of going to a planet you know nothing about can be frightening, but rest assured we will take every safety precaution. You also don't have to go if you don't want to. No one will think any less of you."

"It's not that, it's just that I have no idea how your technology works! Could I really be of much help?"

"You'll just be an observer for now. We'll do all the work. When you get more familiar with the ship, we could give you some assignments, if you're interested. I'm sure your experience as a 'guild member' will prove to be helpful."

Almond and the captain returned to the ready room, and they sat down at their previous spots.

"How did you like the ship?", the captain asked.

"It was very interesting, and… we're so primitive compared to you."

Janeway smiled, "We didn't get this far in a day. It took a long time, full of trial and error to develop all this technology. Have faith in your kind, because I'm sure someday Pokemon will be this advanced too. Now, I'd like to talk more about you."

"About me?"

"Your species, Vulpix, would you mind telling me more? For example, those six tails you have are very beautiful, but do they serve a purpose?"

Almond looked back at her reddish brown tails, "Well, not really. They're more for show than anything, and they tell other Pokemon that I'm a Vulpix."

"So what are the defining characters of a 'Vulpix'?"

"Well, I'm a fire-type Pokemon, which means that I can naturally control fire, and have special powers relating to it. There are other types of Pokemon: water-types, grass-types, electric-types, just to name a few. These classifications arose because an old tradition among Pokemon is using our special powers to battle each other, which in turn owes its past to primitive Pokemon competing for food and territory. Eventually, battling became a sport and rules were set so that no one got seriously hurt."

"And you've 'battled' before?"

"Kind of. I've never competed in an official battle, but as an explorer I sometimes do have to battle hostile Pokemon if they post a threat. Recently the entire sport has been falling out of favor, anyway."

"Fascinating. Another thing, Almond. When the doctor examined you, he found two completely different sets of DNA, and he said that you can use these sets to change your species at will. Do you know anything about this?"

"You mean evolution? It's a natural step in a Pokemon's life cycle, where we change into our 'next' form or species. A Vulpix will turn into a Ninetales, but as far as anyone of us knows it's a one-way change, and I can't do it whenever I want to, only when I'm near a special crystal called a fire stone. A Pokemon of a different type will need a different kind of evolutionary stones to evolve."

"And this 'fire stone' can be found naturally?"

"Yes, but they're rare. I've only seen them, and other evolutionary stones sold at shops. They're really expensive."

"You 'Pokemon' are certainly unlike any aliens we've seen before. Almond, would you allow the Doctor and Seven to further examine your physiology, and the items you brought with you?"

"Of course!"

That evening, Almond reported to sick bay for her checkup, and so the Doctor can collect more data about her. She showed him the berries and seeds that she brought with her, described their special abilities, like an Oran berry that helped her body repair itself faster, or a Pecha berry that helped her metabolize toxins.

Eventually, Almond returned to her quarters, confused by her own emotions. The crew had such a wide range of reactions to her, most were nice, but some seemingly expected her to know more about the ship and themselves when told that she was intelligent, while others at first didn't believe or realize she was intelligent at all. Then there were Seven of Nine and B'Elanna. At least she could tell that B'Elanna didn't like her very much, but Seven? She didn't know what to think. She seemed intent on helping her while still giving her a cold and detached attitude. Still, Almond hoped that she would be able to break through Seven's cold exterior to find a kind and cheerful person inside, maybe B'Elanna too.

She was also worried about Quartz. Was her partner alright? Is he back at the guild right now, worried about her, or did he fall into the portal, to a different place in this realm, or maybe even another realm? What about the human that she had used Ember on? What if he hates her and wants to take revenge? What if his friends hate her?

She looked around her quarters. The small room was dimly lit, and the greyish floor and walls made for an unfamiliar sight, which was not helped by the fact that everything was so high up off the ground that a Vulpix, at just over two feet tall, couldn't easily interact with anything. She could see the small computer console on the wall, and on the other side, a replicator. She was tempted to jump up onto the desk that was mounted below the console and tap some of the buttons, or make something with the replicator like she saw the captain do, but she was worried that she would get in trouble.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door bell.

"Come in?", she said, and Seven of Nine emerged from the hallway.

"Almond. The captain forgot to give you something, and she has asked me to deliver it.", Seven said.

"Huh?"

Seven held out a small, metallic device. It consisted of what looked like an arrow superimposed onto the shape of a rectangle.

"It's a combadge. All crew and long-term passengers on this ship are required to wear one, especially if they wish to join us on away missions. It allows you to communicate with any other member of the crew, and is also used to track your location in and out of the ship. You must wear it at all times when you are outside your quarters. Think of it as… a Starfleet explorer badge."

Almond took the combadge and placed it on her scarf, beside her explorer badge. Strangely, it did not have a clip or a needle for attaching to clothing, nor did it use any sort of adhesive. Instead, there was a small metallic square on the back of the badge that, for reasons Almond did not understand, attached securely to the fabric of her scarf, but disengaged effortlessly when she reached to remove it.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome."

Alomnd was surprised by Seven's response to her gratitude this time, but her gaze suddenly turned worried. Sensing this, Seven inquired: "Is something wrong?"

"'Long-term passenger.' Don't get me wrong, I am extremely grateful for everything you've all done for me, but… I still want to go home. See my friends. Will I really stay here forever?"

"I have made a small amount of progress in researching about the subspace rift that brought you here."

"Really?"

"I understand your longing to return to your realm.", Seven continued, "When we become accustomed to an environment, we get attached to it, and long for it when we are away. I was once a Borg drone, part of an evil and expansionist collective that seeks to achieve perfection by assimilating anyone they saw as unique into drones. It was a bleak existence, with no free will or individuality, and I was forced to bring the same suffering to thousands of individuals. However, when Captain Janeway freed me from the collective, I still resisted, lashed out, and demanded to be returned to my old life, the life I knew. My point is that change can be frightening, but in many cases, it's worth it. For example, I eventually adapted to life as an individual, and managed to regain what the Borg took from me: my humanity, and was able to help others instead of hurting them. To this day, I am still learning to be human, and to be an individual."

Almond nodded, not sure what to say.

"However, your situation is somewhat different. I assume you enjoyed your old life, and are proud of what you had accomplished."

Almond nodded again: "I suppose so."

"I will continue my efforts to reopen the subspace rift, and I hope that we can return you to your realm."

"But… What if you can't?"

Seven kneeled down beside Almond, and placed her hand gently on her head, "I was able to adapt to life aboard Voyager, as was the rest of the crew when the ship became lost in the Delta Quadrant. I am confident you will too."


	4. Chapter 4: Away Mission

Almond was awakened by a chime coming from a speaker in her quarters. The sound was pleasant, though robotic. She remembered the captain teaching her how to interact with the ship's computer, and decided it try it out.

"Computer? What time is it?"

"0700 hours.", the computer replied in the same robotic voice, "Would you like to deactivate the alarm?"

"Uh… sure."

Almond sat up from the bed as the lights in her quarters turned on.

"This is a lot better than having Loudred screaming out his wakeup call every morning. I'm on a space ship full of humans, and don't know how to get home, but at least my ears aren't ringing.", she thought as she rubbed her reddish-brown eyes with her paws. She jumped off the bed, which was much closer to the ground than in sickbay, and walked up to the small mirror that hung in the corner of the room. Slightly extending her claws, she ran them through her hair, forming the soft, fluffy curls of fur that most Vulpix had atop their heads.

"Well, here goes nothing…", she said to herself as she exited her quarters.

"Good morning!", Neelix called as people flooded into the mess hall, "I made some extra special treats today, using some foods that our Pokemon guest brought!", the rest of the crew eyed the new food items curiously, some cautiously.

"This is what I call Pokemon Berry Salad!", Neelix pointed to a bowl of brightly colored fruit, "It has Oran berries, Pecha berries, and many more! Also, try the deep-fried Reviver seeds!"

The Doctor strolled up to the buffet table, medical tricorder in hand. He passed the scanning probe over the berry salad, and then the reviver seeds.

"Neelix, your… 'cooking technique' has completely denatured the chemicals that give these reviver seeds their healing power!", the Doctor said.

"So? You told me that they only work with Pokemon physiology, and our guest isn't in any danger right now.", Neelix pointed to Almond, who was sitting on top of a nearby table, in conversation with Harry Kim, Tom Paris, and several other crew members.

"You've turned a potentially life saving item into… junk food! You've wasted them!"

"Relax, Doctor! I got all the Pokemon food from the replicator, so we aren't in danger of running out! Besides, Almond told me that eating these seeds had no particular effect and that they work just by being in close proximity to an injured Pokemon."

"Well they're not going to work anymore. Not only that, you've negated any nutritional value the seeds may have had, and…", the Doctor turned his attention to the berry salad, "Is this a dusting of sugar?! Your 'salad' has over fifty percent of a healthy person's daily caloric intake in just a few spoonfuls!"

"Doctor, food isn't just about nutritional value, it's about enjoyment, and variety! It's an adventure all on its own!"

The Doctor sighed and walked away. Meanwhile, Captain Janeway entered the mess hall, and walked toward the table where Almond was sitting at. Seeing her, the crew members stood up and faced the captain.

"As you were. In fact, I'd like to join you.", she said as she took an empty chair.

"How are you all today?", Janeway asked, and received responses ranging from "good" to "excellent".

"And you, Almond?", Janeway continued.

"Good, captain! I slept well in my quarters last night and these humans greeted me when I came to the mess hall."

Janeway smiled, "Glad to see you're making friends. What are your thoughts on Neelix's… 'Pokemon inspired breakfast'?"

"It's… Interesting? I'm kind of amazed to see so many reviver seeds!"

"That's the power of a replicator.", Janeway said.

"Almond was telling us about her life in the guild.", Harry Kim commented, "Really sounds like she would make a good Starfleet officer."

"Let's not get that far just yet…", Janeway turned to face Almond, "But that reminds me. We are approaching the planetoid I told you about. We plan on going there to mine for dilithium, something our engines need to function. Have you given any thought as to whether you want to tag along?"

"I have, and I'd love to!"

"Glad to hear it!", Janeway announced, "Meet us in the launch bay at 1100 hours. If you can't find it, just ask any crewman show you. We'll taking our shuttle craft to the surface, it's named the Delta Flyer."

Janeway then handed Almond a grey, rectangular device: "Oh, and this is called a tricorder. It will allow you to collect data and scan the planet's environment. I don't expect you to know how to use it just yet, but I'd like you to have one for this mission, just to get familiar with it."

Almond finished breakfast, and returned to her quarters soon after. She examined the device that the captain had given her. It was made of grey plastic, a material that she had only seen once in the ancient human ruins outside of Treasure Town. The device was comprised of two pieces joined together by a hinge. Using her claw, she flipped open the device, revealing a collection of buttons and a small screen. Pressing a button, the device emitted a short beep, and the text on the screen changed. Curious, Almond pressed a few more buttons and tapped on several icons that the screen displayed, hoping that she wasn't damaging the device.

Almond then turned her attention to the mission she had just signed up for. Even though the thought of landing on an unknown planet was indeed a bit frightening, it was her first chance since she came aboard Voyager to do what she loved to do, explore. For the first time in these few days, her sense of adventure was restored, and if she closed her eyes and imagined, she could almost pretend that she was at the guild, preparing to explore a mystery dungeon.

"I'm telling you, Almond, you would love my Captain Proton holodeck program!", Tom Parris said as he flew the Delta Flyer toward the planet, with Almond and Chakotay in tow, "It's exciting, filled with action, and you get to battle people along the way! Didn't you say that Pokemon battle each other for fun?"

"I said that it's an old tradition It's not really practiced anymore except by enthusiasts… and maybe explorers facing hostile Pokemon. Personally, I don't find it enjoyable, and in an official battle no one gets seriously or permanently hurt."

"It's the Holodeck! I've told you about it, right? The characters are photonic projections, so you can't possibly hurt them! Not to mention there are safety protocols that won't allow any real people to get hurt!"

"Tom, we're approaching the atmosphere. Perhaps you should focus on flying rather than pitching your holonovel to Almond.", Chakotay interrupted.

"Yes sir.", Tom said, slightly exasperated.

The Delta Flyer floated gracefully toward the planet, kept in the air by the two engines on either side, which emitted a brilliant red and blue glow. They could see that planet was mostly desert, but many small shrubs and grasses still grew. Eventually, the crew found a large clearing, and Tom Paris set the spacecraft down onto the sand.

"Here we are!", Tom said. The crewmen exited the ship, followed by Almond, who had stopped to examine the door and the side of the shuttle. The sound of a computer beeping could be heard as Tom and Chakotay activated their tricorders.

"I'm detecting dilithium just below the surface, I think I can even get a transporter lock on it.", Tom said as he typed into his tricorder. The sound of the transporter could be heard moments later.

"Got it! This is easier than I thought!", Tom said.

"Remember that we're also here to explore, Tom.", Chakotay instructed, "Almond, would you like to join me and take a walk around?"

Almond obliged, following Chakotay as they approached some shrubbery. Chakotay flipped open the lid of his tricorder and pressed a few buttons. The sound of the scanner powering up could be heard. Almond retrieved her own tricorder from her treasure bag, and imitated Chakotay, though with little effect as the button combination she pressed only yielded an error tone.

"Let me help you with that.", Chakotay said as he kneeled beside Almond, pressing the correct buttons on her tricorder, "I've set it to bioscanning mode, so you can analyze the local plant life. Now, gently pass the tricorder over the specimen you want to scan, like this…"

Chakotay moved his tricorder over the leaves of a nearby plant, with Almond mirroring this action.

"You might want to read the instructions on using this after we get back. I'll show you how to bring up the stored copy later.", Chakotay commented.

The two waved their tricorders slowly across the various plant life, and before long, the results of the analysis appeared on the screens, though Almond's tricorder had displayed a lot less information.

"Guess I'm still not doing it right.", Alomnd said.

Turning their attention toward a small valley, they walked over to find a dried-up river bed. Chakotay stepped further, but the ground beneath crumbled, causing him to fall in.

"Chakotay!", Almond called as she raced down after her. The experience was bringing back memories she preferred not to recall, as the last time she descended into a valley she ended up in another realm. Luckily, there was no spatial rift waiting for them this time, just sand and rocks.

"Are you okay?", Almond asked.

"I think I hurt my back!", Chakotay grunted as he tried and failed to stand up. Almond was about to contact Voyager with her combadge, but her attention was drawn to the sound of wind, and the sky above filling with dust and sand.

Chakotay typed into his tricorder, and managed to say before collapsing: "A sandstorm is forming, and the dust cloud is emitting Theta radiation!"

Suddenly, Almond felt dizzy and lightheaded as the dust passed over her and Chakotay, causing her to stumble and fall over.

"We are being hailed. It's the Delta Flyer.", Tuvok stated.

"Onscreen!", Janeway responded.

Tom Paris could be seen at the helm, "Captain, a sandstorm just started out of nowhere, and I'm picking up substantial amounts of Theta radiation!"

"Theta radiation?", the Captain inquired, "I thought this was a Class M planetoid! It's supposed to be safe for humanoid life!"

"We thought it was, but now it's looking more like a Class Y!", Tom replied, "Commander Chakotay and Almond went for a walk, I haven't seen them since. The radiation is deflecting my scanners so I'm not detecting their lifesigns!"

The crewmen on the bridge took looked at each other worriedly.

"Captain, if this storm gets any worse I won't be able to start the Delta Flyer's engines, and we don't know how long this might go on for, the shields could fail long before the radiation dies down!"

"Get off the planet for now. Once you're out of the atmosphere I want you to lock on to Chakotay and Alomnd's combadges, and beam them out of there!", Janeway commanded.

"Ma'am, I'm reading Almond's combadge, but not Commander Chakotay's!"

"Open a channel to her and relay it to the bridge!"

In the valley, a faint chime rang out of the combadge Almond's scarf. She tapped on it gently, and Captain Janeway's voice could be heard.

"Voyager to Almond."

"I'm here!", Almond replied.

"You and Commander Chakotay are being exposed to Theta radiation! At the current level, it could be fatal in a few hours. We are having trouble detecting Chakotay's combadge, and the radiation interference means we can't get a transporter lock on him without it!"

"Chakotay fell down a valley! I think his badge was damaged. He's injured and unconscious!"

"We'll have to send a rescue team after him. For now, Tom Paris is going to beam you out of there."

"Captain, Chakotay is seriously hurt! I can't leave him!"

"We will certainly go back for him, but you need to get out of there now! That's an order!"

Almond looked at Chakotay, who was badly scraped and bruised from the fall, with the radiation causing the wounds to slowly expand. She couldn't just leave him, but then again, she was ordered to. Will he really be alright?

Almond looked at her combadge, and pondered: "If this behaves anything how like my explorer badge does in mystery dungeons, any living thing it's attached to should be teleported away.", she looked back at Chakotay.

"As a Pokemon, I should be more resistant to… whatever is affecting us, right? Chakotay has already fainted and I'm still okay… kind of…", Almond continued in her thoughts.

"Yes captain. I'm ready for transport.", Almond said to her combadge, but before the transporter lock could be established, she removed the combadge from her scarf, and placed it on Chakotay's shoulder. As soon as the combadge attached to his uniform, he disappeared, leaving Almond alone in the valley, feeling increasingly disoriented and weak. She collapsed as she felt her consciousness starting to slip away from her.


	5. Chapter 5: One to Beam Up

"Ma'am? The transport completed, but I got Chakotay instead of Almomd!", Tom Paris said, "He's got two combadges, his and Almond's!"

Janeway and Tuvok exchanged glances.

"Almond's still on the planet?", Janeway asked worriedly, already knowing the answer.

"As far as we know.", Tom said, "And I've run a scan on Commander Chakotay, he's unconscious, and has early stage Theta radiation poisoning! We need to get him to sickbay!"

"Posioning? But he's been exposed less than a minute, and we didn't detect that much radiation!", Janeway said.

"There's something about the atmosphere. It's amplifying the effects of the radiation!"

"We need to get Almond out of there! Let's just hope that her physiology is better at dealing with this than Chakotay's. Set a course for the planetoid and rendezvous with the Delta Flyer! Maximum warp! Get B'Elanna to find a way to rescue Almond!"

On the surface, Almond curled up in the sandy valley, wrapping her six tails around her body like a blanket. She was becoming increasingly lightheaded and confused as the radiation bombarded her nervous system. She strained to focus her thoughts on what was happening, and on Voyager.

"They're coming back for me, right?", she thought, "Then again, I violated an order from the captain. What if she's angry? What if they decide to leave me here?"

"We're approaching the planetoid.", Harry Kim said on the bridge.

"Beam Commander Chakotay to sickbay! I'm going down to engineering to see if B'Elanna has come up with anything.", Janeway said as she left the bridge.

"I've scanned the sandstorm…", B'Elanna said as Janeway entered engineering, "The radiation density has increased, so we can no longer transport someone even if they have a combadge…"

"But?", Janeway asked with a hint of frustration.

"I think a transporter signal can still cut through, but only if we get Almond a transport enhancer. If we create a container to resist the effects of the radiation and the force of re-entry, we can use it to protect a transport enhancer and launch it from one of the torpedo tubes, but we need to know exactly where Almond is so she finds the container, and so we don't accidentally hit her with it."

"I've examined Commander Chakotay's tricorder logs, it's recorded his last location on the planet, and we'll have to assume Almond isn't far. Only launch it with enough energy to break through the atmosphere, so it has slowed down sufficiently when it reaches the ground. I'm sure Almond can dodge it once she sees it."

"Captain, even if we did get a transport enhancer to her she'd have no idea how to use it. We don't even know if she's still conscious!"

"Still, it's worth a shot, and so far there's been no alternative suggestions."

"Captain, permission to speak freely?"

Janeway sighed, "Yes?"

"Almond violated a direct order. She did this to herself!"

"Yes, she did, and I'll have a talk with her when she gets back. However, we don't punish insubordination by leaving someone to die on an alien planet. Not to mention, she did save Commander Chakotay's life."

B'Elanna huffed, "I'll replicate a suitable container, and I'll tape some instructions to the transport enhancer…"

"Do it!", Janeway said.

Almond opened her eyes to see a sky completed filled with cream colored dust, but a subtle gleam high in the distance caught her attention. Something was falling toward the valley. A shooting star? A rock from the planet? She squinted her eyes as the thing grew closer, surrounded by an orange glow. It was moving toward her!

Almond ran toward a small space where the valley wall hung slightly above the ground from the ground, and braced as the object fell. A dull thud echoed through the valley, and Almond scanned her surroundings cautiously.

Her vision was beginning to distort, but she saw a small metallic cylinder in a newly formed crater. Almond approached it, and was relieved to see a Starfleet emblem imprinted on it. The top of the cylinder appeared to be a lid, which Almond carefully removed. Inside, she found another metallic device, adorned with several translucent pieces. Attached to it was a label, which Almond reached for, and strained to read the text that was printed.

"Press and hold this button. It's already been configured so don't touch anything else!", an arrow pointed to a large green button amid a small control panel on the device. Almond obliged, pressing the button and not letting go. The translucent components of the device began to emit a bluish-white light, and a high-pitched whirring sound could be heard.

"The transport enhancer has been activated.", B'Elanna said as she pressed several buttons on a panel in the transporter room, "I've got a lock with the conventional transporter, but site-to-site is a lost cause."

"Energize!", the captain instructed. The sound of the transporter filled the room, as beams of blue light flew around just above the transporter platform. The shape of a fox soon appeared. A few seconds later, Almond stood on the transporter platform as the lights dissipated, with the transport enhancer still in her paw.

"Welcome back.", B'Elanna said, sounding annoyed.

"Beam her to sickbay.", Janeway said. Soon after, Almond disappeared from the transporter room.

The sound of a medical tricorder filled Almond's ears as the Doctor waved the hand scanner over Almond's head. The doctor then paused to examine the readings.

"You have suffered acute Theta radiation poisoning, but fortunately there was no long-term damage.", the Doctor proclaimed.

"I still feel dizzy…", Almond strained to say.

"The discomfort should subside in a few minutes. Now, here's something to help your body filter out the remaining radiation.", the Doctor said as he pressed a hypospray to Almond's neck. A pneumatic whooshing sound could be heard as the medication was transferred into the Pokemon's body.

"Doctor? How is she?", Captain Janeway said as the sickbay doors opened for her.

"She's fine.", the Doctor replied as the captain walked up to Almond.

"I… I'm sorry captain… I disobeyed you.", Almond managed to say, shaking slightly.

"Yes. You did, and it's not something I take lightly.", Janeway scolded, "However, if you hadn't, Commanded Chakotay may not be alive right now."

"The radiation was having a much greater effect than we had anticipated, and in Commander Chakotay's case it was exacerbated by his injuries when he fell, but both of you got out just in time.", the Doctor commented.

"You saved him, Almond.", Janeway continued, "And for that, I must thank you."

"You're not going to punish me?"

"You acted out of concern and compassion for Commander Chakotay, and he's very lucky you did. How can I fault you for that?", Janeway said, "Besides, you're still adjusting to life aboard Voyager."

"When I was stranded on the planet, I thought you'd be so mad you weren't going to rescue me…", Almond said, ashamed that she had doubted the captain.

"If I had left you there, I would have been condemning you to death, and that would have been a far greater crime than what you did today."

Almond nodded, a sense of relief washing over her.

"You did do something else wrong today, though.", the captain continued.

Almond reclaimed her worried expression.

"You referred to Commander Chakotay as simply 'Chakotay'. Since he outranks you, you should always say 'Commander Chakotay'.", Janeway said, smiling.

Almond chuckled slightly, "I'll remember that."

"I'm sure you will. There's one more thing, Almond."

"What's that?"

"I'd like you to make an official report on your first away mission. All members of an away team are required to do so."

"How do I do that?"

"You can make the report from your quarters, simply by speaking to the computer. Later today, I'll ask Seven of Nine to show you how to use it. The report doesn't have to be perfect, but I'd like you to try recounting as much of your experience as you can."

"I will, captain.", Almond smiled as Janeway left the room.


	6. Chapter 6: Labor Delegator

Several days passed aboard Voyager, and Almond gradually became more comfortable with her surroundings. She had built a friendship with Captain Janeway, the Doctor, Tom Paris and Harry Kim, and grew to enjoy sharing information about her world, and learning about the humans'. Seven of Nine still wore her usual cold attitude, but Almond was beginning to realize that she did in fact care about her, or at least she didn't dislike her, as she was usually the one to teach Almond about how to use the starship's technology, even offering to teach her some science as the two gathered in Astrometrics to research how to get Almond home.

"Speaking of, there's our Pokemon!", Tom Paris called out as Almond wandered into the mess hall. Harry Kim was sitting beside him, and today they were also joined by the captain.

"Good morning, everyone!", Almond said cheerfully as she climbed onto the table at her usual spot, "Captain! How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks.", Janeway said, sipping a cup of coffee, "I was just talking to Mr. Paris and Mr. Kim about some repairs we need to make."

"Repairs?", Almond asked.

"Ship's been flying for a while. We're due for a maintenance overhaul soon.", Tom Paris answered.

"How would we do that?", Almond inquired.

"We were just discussing that.", Janeway said, "Yesterday, we ran into a small merchant ship, and they recommended a trading platform orbiting a planet not far from here, said that someone by the name of Metellis can help us complete the work faster."

"Are we taking his offer?", Almond asked curiously.

"Normally, this level of maintenance would only be done by Starfleet or approved third parties, but since we're so far from home that's a luxury we don't have, so we may need to rely on others.", Janeway replied.

"We're planning on going there, talking to him, and then we'll decide if we need his help.", Harry Kim added.

Almond smiled, "Sounds interesting. Can I come?"

"We'll see. If the trading platform is secure enough, I can't think of a reason to forbid you from visiting. Add to that, you'll be accompanied by several Starfleet officers with full training in interacting with aliens.", the captain said.

"There you are!", Neelix said, walking toward Almond and interrupting their conversation, "I was wondering if you'd like to try my new creation, Oran berry flambé.", Neelex said as he set four small plates down in front of Almond and the others.

"Your own recipe?", Harry Kim asked, slightly jokingly.

"Oh of course! I was thinking last night, what would be a good way to jazz up these extra-dimensional berries, and that I remembered that our friend here can breathe fire! Which inspired me, and I thought: why not combine these properties to make something special?", Neelix said proudly, prompting a light shrug from Harry Kim.

Almond took a bite of Neelix's concoction, "I like it! It's very sweet!", she said, which prompted Tom Paris and Harry Kim to also try the food item.

"Well, there you have it, Neelix! High praise for your new dish!", Tom Paris said, brightening Neelix's already wide smile.

"Bridge to Captain Janeway.", the voice of Chakotay said through the captain's combadge.

"Go ahead.", Janeway responded.

"We are approaching the orbital platform."

"Hail them. I'm on my way.", Janeway turned to face Almond, "Want to come to the bridge while we land?"

"Sure!", Almond replied excitedly as the captain, Tom Paris and Harry Kim stood up to head to the bridge.

"Welcome to our trading complex! I am the commerce manager, here to guide you to whatever you may need!" an alien with pale, wrinkled skin and white hair said through the viewscreen, just as Janeway, Tom Paris, Harry Kim and Almond arrived on the bridge.

"I am captain Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager.", Janeway responded, "We were told that we would find a merchant by the name of Metellis here."

"Oh, Metellis! He one of our most popular tenants! His shop is on sector three of the outermost concentric corridor. If you dock at launch bay 5, he's just around the corner. As always, I wish upon you only the best customer experience, though it should not be a problem with him!"

"Thank you. Janeway Out.", Janeway said as the commerce manager disappeared from the screen, revealing a large, pristine space station comprised of several concentric circles connected by several hallways. The gas giant that the station orbited was visible in the corner of the screen, revealing swirls of blue and green among a mostly opaque white atmosphere. The hull of the station was a perfect white, seemingly without so much as a stain or spot of dust. Almond's eyes widened as she saw the structure, which must have been three or four times larger than Treasure Town, and easily dwarfed Voyager.

"Take us in, Tom.", Janeway commanded, "Dock at launch bay 5 as we were instructed."

"Yes ma'am.", Tom replied confidently.

"Assemble a team to go to the station and see Metellis. Almond, do you want to come along?"

As Janeway was walking toward the transporter room, B'Elanna quickly caught up to her.

"Captain, I have been assigned to go to the station and discuss repairs to the warp system.", B'Elanna explained.

"Glad to hear it!", Janeway replied, "We will be meeting up with Tuvok, Almond and Seven in transporter room 1."

"Almond?!", B'Elanna exclaimed, "What use should she possibly serve?"

"She was curious, and I didn't see any harm in her coming along. This will be a great opportunity for her to learn about alien lifeforms in our realm."

"Only been here less than a week and already she's sticking her nose into everything.", B'Elanna muttered. Haring this, Janeway placed her hand on B'Elanna's shoulder and they came to a stop in the hallway.

"B'Elanna, she's our guest, and she has been extremely polite to us and helpful whenever she can. I expect you to treat her with the same courtesy as any other member of our crew."

In the transporter room, Tuvok, Seven of Nine and Almond stood on the transporter platform. Harry Kim stood behind the control panel, inputting the transport coordinates and the required configurations. Soon after, Janeway and B'Elanna joined the group on the transporter.

"Energize!", Janeway commanded, and shortly after the away team disappeared from the transporter. They rematerialized inside the space station, pausing to examine the white walls in the corridor. Rounding the corner, they came across a large glass door with a sign above it: "Metellis: Labor Delegator". The door opened automatically as they approached, and they were greeted by an alien with light grey, slightly wrinkled skin and black hair. The alien had two vertical ridges running from his ears and along the sides of his head, and was somewhat taller than an average human.

"Mr. Metellis?", Janeway inquired.

"The one and only! Welcome to my office, what work needs help completing?", the Alien said. Almond examined the skinny looking business man, who wore a dark grey, formal looking attire with a multicolored ribbon tied across his right shoulder and chest.

"My name is Captain Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager.", Janeway them pointed to the away team, "This is Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, Lieutenant Torres, Seven of Nine, and last but not least, Almond."

"We require repairs and maintenance to our ship. We were told that you can assist us.", Seven of Nine stated.

"You bet I can!", Metellis said, "They don't call me the galaxy's best labor delegator for nothing!"

"Labor delegator?", Seven of Nine asked, "Could you describe your function?"

The alien laughed, "A labor delegator employs a work force, and when there is a job to be done, he assigns each worker based on their abilities, and optimizes the work. I am one of the best-known labor delegators you'll find, and have been for thirty years. I have the largest work force, with employees ranging from janitors, to warp field engineers, to theoretical physicists. With my optimization techniques, my staff can complete the job in half the time and at half the price of anyone else on this station!"

"That all sounds very impressive.", Janeway complemented, "Are you able to help repair our ship?"

"Captain, there has never been a ship my staff couldn't repair. Tell me exactly what needs to be done and I will fly my workers in to do it!"

"Our warp system could use a tune up.", B'Elanna began.

"Our sensor systems require calibration.", Seven stated.

"Allow me to quote you a price. Will you join me?", the labor delegator said as he sat down at the large desk in the middle of his office. Janeway took a chair on the opposite side of the desk, the rest of the away team followed. Janeway, Seven and B'Elanna told Metellis about Voyager and precisely what repairs the ship needed, with Tuvok and Almond listening intently. Tuvok examined the room and the business man, always on the lookout for security threats, while Almond eyed the technology laden office curiously. Eventually, the group and Metellis came to an agreement.

"This is just my office.", Metellis explained, "My work force is on a nearby moon. I will assign workers to you and begin the repairs as soon as possible."

"Sounds good.", B'Elanna said.

Soon, a small ship docked with Voyager, and many aliens wearing clean, light grey clothing came aboard, along with Metellis. The workers began to perform their assigned duties under the supervision of the Voyager crew, while Metellis was introduced to the ship.

"You know, I wouldn't have expected a Talaxian on a ship from the Alpha Quadrant", Metellis said, sitting with Neelix in the mess hall, in front of him a plate of Oran berry flambé and a bowl of Leola root stew, a dish that had become Neelix's most infamous concoction due to its strong flavor.

"Well, when Captain Janeway's crew got lost in the Delta Quadrant, they hired me as their official guide and ambassador! I'm quite invaluable to them!", Neelix boasted.

"Sounds like you're an integral part of their work force. If you don't mind my asking, I noticed that in among your crew, there is a talking fox and a woman with peculiar cybernetic implants. What are their stories?"

"Oh, that's Seven of Nine and Almond, respectively.", Neelix cheerfully began, "Seven is a former Borg drone that we rescued, and Almond is an extra-dimensional organism who is staying on our ship until she gets home."

"Most fascinating…", Metellis commented, deep in thought, "They must have abilities unlike any other crew member."

"You bet they do! Seven of Nine knows the Borg collective inside and out and has all kinds of special technology and sensors connected right into her mind! Almond can breathe fire and withstand very high temperatures!"

"Will I have the chance to meet them?"

"I think they're in the Astrometrics lab right now. Seven is trying to get Almond home and they're analysing some data."

"Really? Thank you, Neelix!", Metellis said as he left for the Astrometrics lab.

"Metellis. State your intentions.", Seven of Nine greeted as the labor delegator entered Astrometrics. He saw Seven of Nine standing in front of the computer console at the center of the room, and Almond sitting atop that console.

"Just stopped by to say hello.", Metellis said, "What are you two doing?

"A few days ago, a spatial anomaly brought me to this realm. We're analysing what happened so we can find a way to send me back.", Almond explained, "Seven is also teaching me a little bit on temporal mechanics, since that's relevant and I've always been interested in it."

"Impressive. You, a fox, are studying temporal mechanics?"

"Well, trying to...", Almond replied.

"She has only a very weak background in science by our standards, but she is an efficient learner.", Seven added, prompting a smile from Almond.

"I heard you're Borg.", Metellis said to Seven.

"Former Borg. I was liberated from the collective by Captain Janeway."

"And you still have Borg implants?"

"Correct. I have a cortical node and array, a cortical transceiver, several implants that enhance my physical strength and stamina, and an multi-spectral optical processor that our doctor built to replace one of my eyes, which the Borg had removed. I also still have nanoprobes in my blood."

"You must know a great deal about the collective."

"Indeed.", Seven replied, turning her attention back to the console when she heard a beep, indicating that the calculations she was performing had completed.

"And what about you, Almond, was it? I heard you're from a completely different dimension, and that you can breathe fire."

"I am, and I can!", Almond replied cheerfully.

"Can you show me?"

Almond looked at Seven of Nine, who replied: "Keep the flame small and brief, and refrain from pointing it at anything."

Almond lifted her head and ignited a flame from her mouth. Metellis eyed the Vulpix with astonishment.

"You can withstand such high temperatures?", he asked.

"Yeah!"

"Amazing. Your crew is very lucky to have beings as unique as the two of you."

With the help of Metellis's work force working around the clock, the maintenance overhaul only took a day and a half. Captain Janeway paid Metellis and thanked him, and soon Voyager prepared to leave the trading platform.

"Voyager has undocked from the orbital platform.", Tom Paris announced.

"Reverse thrusters. Move us away.", Janeway instructed. The ship shook slightly as it started moving.

"We're clear of the station.", Tom said after a few moments.

"Resume course for the Alpha Quadrant. Warp 7.", the captain replied. Throughout the ship, a low whirring sound could be heard as the engines came to life, and a moment later, Voyager disappeared into space.

That evening, a meeting was held in Voyager's briefing room, discussing the state of the repairs and the plan from then on.

"My engineering team has run every test we could think of.", B'Elanna began, "The warp systems are exceeding Starfleet specifications. Likewise with the navigational sensors."

"Glad to hear it. What does Seven of Nine think of the astrometric sensor calibrations?", Janeway asked.

"She hasn't reported yet.", Chakotay said.

"That probably means she's happy with the work, otherwise we would have heard some complaints.", Harry Kim commented.

"Janeway to Seven of Nine.", the captain spoke into her combadge, but received no response.

"Seven of Nine, respond!", she said again, and when her combadge stayed silent, a worried atmosphere filled the room.

"She's been with Almond all day.", Neelix said.

"Janeway to Almond.", the captain spoke, but again received no response. Raising her head, she then called out: "Computer, locate Seven of Nine and Almond."

"Seven of Nine and Almond are not onboard.", the computer responded.


	7. Chapter 7: Recruitment

Almond scanned her surroundings, and found herself in a greyish-white room, with a large exit facing a corridor. She saw Seven of Nine standing beside her, looking as bewildered as she was. Almond noticed that Seven had one more cybernetic implant on the side of her neck, a rectangular device with a flashing green light. She lifted her paw and felt her own neck, and discovered that an identical device had been attached to her as well.

Slowly, Almond walked toward the corridor, but was stopped by a greenish flash of light from a force field. She soon heard footsteps, and Metellis calmly walked into view just outside the room, wearing the same smile as he had when he met the Voyager crew for the first time.

"Why have you taken us?!", Seven of Nine shouted at Metellis.

"The two of you have been recruited into my workforce.", Metellis explained cheerfully.

"We gave no permission to be removed from Voyager!", Seven retorted.

"Perhaps not, but your captain did."

"I demand to speak to her!"

"Unfortunately, they are no longer in communications range."

"Captain Janeway would never transfer a member of her crew against their will, and especially not without informing them!"

"She may not have allowed me to recruit you two specifically, but I was operating within the contract she had signed."

"No doubt filled with ambiguous and misleading clauses."

"Deciphering the document is the responsibility of the customer. If she had a problem with my policies she should have terminated the use of my services."

"And what if we don't wish to join your work force?"

"That is not for you to decide. The contract permits me to recruit any customer with traits I believe will be valuable to my work force."

"This isn't recruitment! This is slavery! Your behavior is reprehensible!", Seven shouted.

"Oh? A lesson in how slavery is bad from the Borg lady."

"You assimilate those you find unique, force them to work against their will! You are no better than the Borg!"

"Perhaps not, but as the saying goes, resistance is futile. Those devices on your necks are tracking beacons, and they can also deliver a neurosynaptic pulse.", Metellis held up a small device he was holding and pressed a button. Instantly, Almond and Seven of Nine felt a sharp, electrifying pain radiate from where the device was fitted, traveling up into their heads and along the top half of their spines. They collapsed to the ground and were unable to move.

"Obey me, and the use of this feature will be kept to a minimum.", Metellis stated as he released the button he was pressing, "I have already assigned jobs for the two of you. Seven of Nine, you will be helping a customer upgrade their weapons to better defend against the Borg, and Almond, you will join another workforce at a tricobalt refinery. I'm sure those impressive fire breathing abilities will allow you to excel at melting down tricobalt ore."

Seven of Nine retained her enraged expression while Almond held her nervous look.

"Take pride in your work!", Metellis said enthusiastically, "You'll be helping thousands, maybe even millions lead better lives! Isn't that worth a little hard work?"

"How can we be proud of being turned into slaves?!", Seven retorted.

Metellis shrugged as he walked out of sight. Almond looked at Seven of Nine, and realizing that she was straining to keep herself upright after Metellis had administered the neuralsynaptic pulse, she ran to her.

"Seven! Are you okay?", Almond said, concerned.

"I am fine.", Seven stated as she sat down.

"What happened? How did we end up here?"

"As Metellis's ship undocked from Voyager, he transported us here. It seems that his previous conversation with us in the Astrometrics lab was a ruse to gather information about us in order to assess our abilities, in preparation for 'recriutment' into his 'workforce'."

"What do we do now?", Almond said worriedly.

Seven looked around the room, "I don't know. However, we must work together to contact Voyager and escape. I have no intention of becoming a 'worker', and neither do you, I presume."

Almond shook her head.

"The best thing to do for now is to obey Metellis, give him the illusion of subordination. While doing this, we must also gather information about our environment, the routines of Metellis and any of his possible accomplices, and any weaknesses we can exploit. Once we have gathered enough strategic data, we will attempt to escape."

Almond nodded, retaining her worried expression.

Seven of Nine placed her hand under Almond's muzzle, and lifted her head to meet her own.

"We will make it out of here.", Seven stated.

Several lightyears from the trading platform, Voyager came to a dead stop as the senior crew members sat in the briefing room.

"I have analysed the sensor logs…", Tuvok began, "When Metellis's ship undocked from Voyager, he flew over us, with a path that brought him into close proximity with the Astrometrics lab. At the same time, there was a slight power surge in Astrometrics which the computer at first mistook for a sensor glitch, or a very minor equipment malfunction. However, upon further analysis, I suspect that it may have been a transporter signature."

"A stealth transport?", Janeway asked.

"Possibly.", Tuvok replied.

"Why would he abduct Almond and Seven of Nine?"

"Captain…", Neelix added nervously.

"Yes?"

"When Metellis was in the mess hall, he asked about Almond and Seven of Nine."

"And?"

"And… I told him about them, where they came from and about their abilities. He… He seemed very eager to get meet them and he left for Astrometrics after that."

"Well, it seems that he was so eager to meet them that he decided to transport them off our ship."

"Captain… I… I'm sorry… If I hadn't told him about Seven and Almond he may not have taken them.", Neelix stammered.

"You couldn't have known his intentions, and you were just trying to be friendly. Also, I suspect that he had his eyes set on Almond and Seven the instant he saw them, and he would have decided to take them eventually.", Janeway said, "Now, we're pretty sure Metellis abducted two members of our crew, but why?"

"I have thought of one logical possibility.", Tuvok started, "After learning about Almond and Seven of Nine, Metellis may have decided to 'add' them to his workforce."

"You mean enslave?", the captain inquired.

"Quite possibly."

"So, all those workers who came aboard…"

"Were likely working against their will.", Tuvok stated. The thought of having used slave labor prompted several disgusted groans in the room.

"We need to get our crew members back.", Janeway said sternly, and the other officers nodded in agreement.

"Plot a course back to the trading platform.", Janeway instructed, "Stay at yellow alert, monitor sensors continuously and keep our shields at maximum. We don't want to be ambushed or have more members of our crew abducted."

After some time, Voyager returned to the orbital platform.

"Neelix, as our ambassador, I want you to speak to the commerce manager of the trading platform and file an official complaint about Metellis. I'm hopeful that the station's authorities can help us.", Janeway instructed.

"Yes ma'am! I'll transport there right away.", Neelix said as he prepared to leave the bridge.

"Captain. I am detecting Metellis's vessel.", Tuvok stated.

"Hail him!", Janeway said, and the face of Metellis soon appeared on the viewscreen.

"Hello captain! what work needs help complet…"

"You've abducted two members of my crew!", Janeway angrily interrupted.

"Captain, I don't like the word 'abduct', it sounds so negative. I prefer the term 'recriut'."

"Then you obviously don't know the definition of 'recriut', because it doesn't involve taking people against their will. Return Almond and Seven of Nine immediately!"

"You agreed to give them to me in the contract you signed."

"I did no such thing!"

"Maybe not directly, but the contract does say, and I quote, 'you agree to allow me to recruit people under your command'."

"As I've already said, 'recruit' doesn't mean enslaving members of my crew!"

"It's not my fault that you didn't interpret the contract correctly. Consider Almond and Seven of Nine part of the payment for the work I did."

"That's a type of payment I'm not going to make! You can undo your repairs to my ship if you want, but you're not keeping my crew members!"

"I'm afraid all sales are final. Now, if there's nothing else, I have an appointment I must make.", and with that, the channel closed and Metellis disappeared from the screen.

"He's jumped to warp.", Harry Kim said, "Should we pursue him?"

"Not right now. He might have reinforcements waiting at wherever he's going. Keep a sensor lock on his warp trail and try to track his location. It will be better if we take him by surprise.", Janeway explained, "Besides, I'm still hopeful that Neelix will get through to the trading platform."

Several minutes later, Neelix transported back to Voyager, looking frustrated.

"How did it go?", Janeway asked, walking into the transporter room.

"I spoke to the commerce manager directly, and he was absolutely disgusted that one of his tenants would use slave labor, and he promised to have every security team investigating it! It's his top priority!", Neelix said with an obviously sarcastic tone?

"But you don't believe him."

"No. He did say those things, but he kept repeating how Metellis brings the most amount of revenue to the trading platform, and how renowned his service was in the region. He might not have realized that Metellis's practices were unethical, but even that's a long shot. I doubt he'll help us if it means he'll risk losing his most prized tenant."

Janeway sighed, "Looks like we're on our own."


	8. Chapter 8: Workers

"Relax, and close your eyes.", a Meowstic said as he pressed a small sensor to Kira's forehead. A data cable connected the sensor to the medical tablet the Meowstic was holding, while a second cable connected the tablet to a clip that was attached to the underside of the Meowstic's folded ear, where the organs that gave the cat-like Pokemon his psychic powers were located.

"Repeat the following phrase in your head: 'The quick brown Vulpix jumped over the lazy Growlithe'.", the Meowstic instructed. Kira did so silently, while Leslie smiled while sitting beside the Fennekin.

"Now, visualize a circle.", the neurologist continued, "Now visualize a sphere, and then a cube." Kira did as she was told, and the Meowstic's tablet beeped each time she did one of the tasks.

"Open your eyes, and look around you.", the Meowstic said, and Kira opened her eyes in response.

"Close your eyes again, and answer the following questions. What is your name and species?"

"Kira, Fennekin."

"What is the date?"

"July 19, the year 541, according to the new calendar."

"Where are you right now?"

"The Treasure Town General Hospital."

"What is the square root of nine?"

"Three."

The Meowstic removed the sensor from Kira's forehead, "All right. I've collected all of the data I need. I'll be done with the analysis in about one hour. In the meantime, Kira, why don't you take a walk outside the hospital? You should get some fresh air after staying in this room for a whole day." The neurologist left the room.

"That was surprisingly quick.", Leslie commented, "I expected a cognitive analysis to take a lot longer."

"I wonder if it's the sensor doing most of the work or the Meowstic with his psychic powers.", Kira replied.

"I don't know. Though he had that clip thing attached to his ear, so his telepathy ability must have some involvement. Anyway, we have an hour before your results come back. Let's hang out in the town centre!"

"Actually, I should probably catch up on my work.", Kira said, reaching for her tablet.

"Come on, Kira! Doctor's orders!", Leslie said as she snatched the tablet away, "Barret can survive without you doing the assignments he didn't do and pushed on you today."

Kira laughed while jumping off the hospital bed, "All right. Let's go!"

When they exited the hospital, Kira and Leslie were greeted with a large gathering of Pokemon in the town square. Many were holding up signs and many more were chanting a rhyme at the pedestrians in the town center.

"Ugh. Is that what I think it is?", Kira said.

"Yup, looks like it. One of those 'Keep Pokemon battles a thing! It's tradition!' demonstrations.", Leslie said, exasperated, "They're becoming more and more common.".

"Let's just avoid it, and go to the...", Kira's suggestion was cut short by one of the protesters, walking toward them, a somewhat elderly Pokemon who holding up a stack of pamphlets.

"Excuse me, do you young Pokemon participate in battles?"

"No.", Kira said unapologetically.

Leslie chuckled at Kira's bluntness, though she expected it. "Not really.", she finally answered.

"In that case, you two will benefit from taking a look at this.", the Pokemon held out two pamphlets, "It describes how the tradition of battling benefits Pokemon and why it's a problem that it's becoming less common. You can also find us online at..."

"Thanks, but we'll be fine without this 'tradition'.", Kira interrupted as the pair walked away. Kira was relieved that the protester got the message that they weren't going to be persuaded.

"Every other time I come to the town centre!", Kira exclaimed as they walked away from the crowd.

Leslie laughed, "And every time they realize that they picked the wrong Pokemon to mess with!"

"I just wish they'd mind their own business. No one is telling them to not battle, so stop telling us to!"

"I guess most of them can't get over the fact that we're 'destroying tradition'", Leslie said with fake panic in her voice, "but honestly I agree with you."

"I really hate it when they use the 'tradition' excuse. I mean, there was a time when different Pokemon species had predator-prey relationships! So should we bring that 'tradition' back?!"

"The fact is that the battling paradigm is ending no matter how much they protest.", Leslie said, "You might be a bit of an extreme example, but you're not alone. I'm not that interested in battling either, and neither is Ella and most Pokemon our age."

"Metathesiophobia. The fear of change.", Kira commented.

Kira and Leslie stopped for breakfast at a nearby restaurant before returning to the hospital.

"Well, the good news is that you don't have permanent brain damage.", the Meowstic said.

"And the bad news?", Kira asked.

"The bad news is that you do require treatment for the harm that your brain did sustain."

"How bad is the damage that I do have?", Kira asked, concerned.

"Fortunately, the damage is minimal, and the treatment will be mostly precautionary. I'm prescribing you some medication, which will speed up the healing process. In addition to the medication, be sure to avoid doing anything that may result in further head trauma. Oh, and no Pokemon battles for at least the next week."

"You don't have to worry about me battling!", Kira laughed slightly.

"Excellent.", the neurologist said, "We're keeping you under observation until tonight, and then you'll be free to go home."


	9. Chapter 9: Quitting

"I believe there is a computer terminal not far from here.", Seven stated as they scanned their surroundings. They soon walked up to the terminal she mentioned, and Seven began to type into it.

Almond examined the terminal, and felt amazed that Seven could so easily interact with it. The controls had bright colors, and was written in a language she had never seen before.

"How are you able to use a computer from a species you've never seen before?", Almond asked curiously.

"During my time as a drone I learned to decipher the computer systems of countless species. My cortical array can perform the basic translations necessary for me to understand the user interface.", Seven replied as she continued to press buttons and enter commands.

"I will attempt to establish an encrypted communications channel with Voyager, and disable the shields protecting this compound.", Seven continued.

"Seven of Nine to Voyager.", Seven said after some time. Almond held her breath, hoping for a response. She sensed that Seven of Nine was equally anxious.

"Go ahead, Seven!", the voice of Captain Janeway finally brought a sense excitement.

"We were able to escape from the worker's area in Metellis's compound, but it is still protected by shields. I believe I can disable them, but I need to do so from Metellis's office.", Seven stated.

"Are you two okay?", Janeway asked.

"I am fine. However Almond's health is deteriorating due to her working conditions. She will need medical attention when we get back."

"Is she here?"

"I'm here!", Almond chimed in.

"It's good to hear your voices.", Janeway said, "But I'm afraid I have only bad news. The worker's compound you're in is heavily armed, and Metellis studied Voyager closely enough to be able to knock out our shield generator. It is likely he also knows a good deal about our other tactical systems."

"I will try to disable their weapons as well.", Seven stated.

"We're holding position just outside of the compound's sensor range. Once you compromise the compound's systems, we'll…", static drowned out the captain's voice, and a second later the audio ceased, and the terminal switched off.

"We have been discovered.", Seven said, "This way!", Seven ran further into the corridor, with Almond following. As they rounded the corner, they stumbled as they avoided crashing into Metellis and his carefree smile.

"I must say I'm impressed. No one has managed to disable my tracking beacons before.", Metellis said as he raised a phaser toward Seven of Nine and Almond, "Not that it'll matter for you two, since…"

Metellis was cut short as he abruptly lost his train of thought. He grew visibly disorientated and struggled to keep his balance. Seven of Nine looked at Almond, whose eyes were glowing a bright purple. Seven took the opportunity to snatch Metellis's phaser, checked that it was set to stun, and pulled the trigger at the slave master.

The phaser emitted a long beep and failed to produce a stun beam.

"I believe this phaser was programed to never fire at Metellis's life sign.", Seven stated after examining the weapon, "Follow me.", she to Almond said as she took off along the hallway.

"What exactly did you do?", Seven asked as they ran.

"I used Confuse Ray on him. It was the only attack I could think of that wouldn't have maimed or killed him.", Almond replied.

"You are telepathic?"

"I can learn psychic-type moves, but I can't read minds or things like that."

"Could you have used this 'psychic-type move' when we were initially kidnapped?!", Seven asked with a slight hint of frustration.

"Yes, but he probably would still have been able to shock us with that tracking beacon! There's no predicting what a confused Pokemon… or… person would have been able to do! Plus, I don't know if it works through a force field!"

"Very well.", Seven stated, "We need to get to his office."

Rounding another corner, they reached the door to a large room. Glass windows stretched from floor to ceiling, allowing them to see the inside of the office from the hallway. At the center was a large, perfectly white table, adorned with many controls and computer panels.

"I have located the shield and weapons controls, but they are secured with a different set of command codes. I will need time to bypass them.", Seven stated as she typed furiously into a console. Outside, a commotion was building, and soon two dozen people in light gray uniforms surrounded the office, with Metellis following behind. Almond quickly leapt up onto the table and turned to face the door. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her head, and a long flame shot out from her mouth, augmenting the well-lit room with an even brighter orange glow. The crashing waves of heat emanating from her Flamethrower attack prevented the workers from entering the office.

However, Almond saw in the corner of her eye that Metellis was making his way to the doorway, with a much larger phaser rifle in his hands.

"Seven!", Almond shouted between breaths of fire, "Can you disable all of the tracking beacons?"

"How is that relevant?", Seven asked.

"Look at them!", Almond pointed her paw toward the workers, "They don't want to be here, and they definitely don't want to be fighting us!"

Seven's attention seemed to flinch for a second, before she continued typing. The symphony of beeps coming from the console filled the room, along with the dull "whoosh" of Almond's flame.

"All tracking beacons have been disabled!", Seven shouted, her voice was the knife that cut through the disjointed voices of the workers. Almond extinguished her flame as the commotion died down. The workers paused as they watched Metellis fiddle with his handheld console. When the labor delegator's commands yielded no effect, the commotion rose again, this time directed toward the tall, frail business man. Years, for some, decades of total control was abolished for that moment, as the once emotionless workers released their hate and anger at the man who had inflicted these emotions upon them. The sound of vengeful shouting and phaser fire filled the corridors, and gradually moved away from the office.

"Seven of Nine to voyager!"

"Go ahead, Seven!", the sound of Captain Janeway cut through the uproar.

"I have disabled the compound's shields and weapons. Metellis is preoccupied at the moment. Can you establish a transporter lock?"

"Stand by, we're moving into transporter range.", Janeway said over the communications channel. A few moments later, blue light filled the office as Almond and Seven of Nine disappeared.

Aboard Voyager, Almond sat on the bed in her quarters. She had tried to get some sleep but couldn't keep her eyes closed. Instead, she stared at the computer console on the far wall, focusing on the multicolored buttons and indicators. During the doctor's examination of her, it occurred to her to ask what 'tricobalt' was used for, and her heart sank to learn that it was a high-powered explosive. The thought that she had been forced to help create weapons created a dark stain on her conscience.

A door chime seized her attention.

"Come in.", she said softly, and Seven of Nine entered.

"Seven?", Almond turned to look at the visitor.

"Yes.", she replied, "When we entered the office at the worker's compound, I noticed something on Metellis's desk. I decided to take it with me."

Almond's eyes brightened as Seven held out a small, gold and white badge.

"My explorer badge!", Almond exclaimed.

"I understand that it holds significant sentimental value."

"It identifies me as an explorer at my guild, and it's one of the few things I brought with me from the Pokemon world."

"Then I'm sure you'll want it back." Seven of Nine stated as she handed it to her, "I also replicated you a new scarf. I tried to match the color and design of the one you brought from your realm."

"Thank you, Seven.", Almond said as she wrapped the scarf around her neck, and clipped her explorer badge to it.

"What was the Doctor's diagnosis of you?", Seven asked.

"He said that my lungs were damaged from breathing in smoke, but he can repair it with medication. He also said that my flame pouch should recover if I don't use it for a few days."

"That is good to hear."

"Seven?", Almond's voice suddenly turned frail and somber.

"Yes?"

"Tricobalt is an explosive, right? A weapon?"

"Yes."

"I just can't get over that fact. I helped create things designed to hurt people!"

"You were forced. Your life depended on it."

"That doesn't make me feel much better…"

Seven sat down on the bed beside Almond, "You cannot undo what you did, but you can always strive to do good from this point onward. As a former Borg drone who helped to assimilate and destroy people, I remind myself of this every day. Always have the intention of making a positive impact in the present and future, but don't ignore the past. It will help you to avoid actions that harm others."

Almond smiled weakly.

"Additionally, consider the fact that we disabled all of the workers' tracking beacons. With any luck, hundreds, even thousands could free themselves. This may even be the end of Metellis's work force."

Almond smiled again.

"Seven… Can I be truthful?"

"Of course."

"When I first met you, I was scared of you. I thought you hated me from the way you spoke, but that was before I learned about you. Your past, and how you're still learning to be human. If our time in that 'work force' has taught me anything, it's that you're so much nicer than I first thought. You're an amazing human, and an amazing friend. I'm sorry I doubted you."

Seven paused for a moment before replying, "I should be apologizing, for frightening you when you first came aboard. I am still not fully accustomed to social interaction."

Almond smiled, "You know, we have legends about humans in our world. I never really believed in them, but most of them showed humans as these evil and selfish creatures that captured Pokemon, trapped them in tiny, mystical orbs, and forced them to battle each other. Now I have proof that those legends are wrong."

Seven of Nine smiled ever so slightly, a stark deviation from her usual, neutral expression.

"I am glad that we could help to clear the name of humans.", Seven said, "I must now leave, and undergo regeneration in order to maintain my cybernetic systems. Good night, Almond."

"Good night.", Almond smiled as Seven left her quarters.


	10. Chapter 10: A Partial Reunion

The incessant beeping of an alarm caught the attention of the bridge crew.

"Captain. Sensors have detected a power surge identical to the one that brought Almond here.", Tuvok stated in his usual calm demeanor.

"Go to yellow alert and engage force fields! Run continuous scans for life signs and prepare to establish transporter locks.", Janeway commanded. Tapping a button on her chair, she activated the ship's PA system: "All hands, brace for impact!"

Seconds later, a sharp rumbling was heard as the ship shook.

"Two life signs! We have transporter locks!", Harry Kim said.

"Create a level 10 containment field around the surgical area in sickbay and beam them there.", Janeway said.

"Captain.", Tuvok interjected, "Given Almond's descriptions of the life forms in her realm and their abilities, the brig would be a more appropriate containment location."

"What message would we be sending then?", Janeway replied, "I don't think they're hostile, they're probably just looking for their friend. Sickbay will do fine. The Doctor's a hologram, so he won't be affected if they attack."

"Sickbay has been prepared and the Doctor alerted. Ready to transport, captain.", Harry Kim said.

"Energize!"

* * *

"Please remain calm!", the Doctor said as a fox-like quadruped creature glared at him with its bright red eyes. The creature had flawless black fur, with yellow bands on its long ears and bushy tail, and yellow rings on its legs and head. Behind the dark colored Pokemon, another creature stood, staring at the Doctor and slightly shaking in fear. It resembled a large rodent, but with purple fur and a curled tail, much like a chameleon.

"Did you bring us here? Did you bring Almond here?!", the dark Pokemon shouted.

"No, I didn't. Now, I need to scan you and your friend to make sure you weren't injured.", the Doctor held up his medical tricorder.

The dark creature lowered its head, the yellow colorations on its body beginning to glow, "If you're thinking of hurting him you'll have to go through me!"

"I have no intention of hurting either of you. I've already treated your friend, Almond several times without a hitch."

"If you've harmed even a single hair on any of her six tails…", the dark Pokemon was interrupted by the sound of the sickbay doors opening. Captain Janeway, Tuvok and Almond emerged from the hallway.

"Quartz? Constellation?", Almond shouted in surprise, her voice filling with excitement.

"Almond!", the two other Pokemon shouted in response. Almond ran toward the two creatures, and the Doctor pressed a button to lower the force field as Almond crossed into the surgical bay. The Pokemon embraced each other in a hug.

"Are you okay, Almond?", the dark Pokemon asked.

"I'm fine. What about you guys? How did you get here?"

"We went back to the mystery dungeon where you disappeared to go look for you and investigate the thing you fell into.", the rodent Pokemon explained, "I needed a partner, so Constellation went with me. We didn't fall this time, but as we got closer to the portal, space seemed to distort toward it, and we were pulled in."

"I heard shouting when I came in!", Almond said with concern.

"We were both pretty scared, and Constellation saw that creature as a threat.", Quartz pointed toward the Doctor, "She was trying to protect me."

"Oh, that's the Doctor. Don't worry, we're safe here.", Almond assured.

"Are… Are they human?", Quartz asked.

"Yeah! Everyone but Tuvok.", Almond pointed at Tuvok's, "He's a Vulcan."

Almond then pointed toward Captain Janeway, "This is Captain Janeway. It might sound kind of farfetched, but we're on a ship flying through space! She took me in and helped me when I appeared here."

"Nice to meet you, Captain.", Quartz smiled.

"It's nice to meet you too. Both of you.", Janeway replied, "If I may, what species are you two?"

"I'm an Umbreon, and he is a Rattata.", the dark Pokemon said.

"Your name is Constellation, right?", Janeway said. The Umbreon nodded.

The captain then turned toward the Rattata, "And your name is Quartz?"

"That's right!"

"Quartz and I are on the same exploration team", Almond added, "And Constellation is one of the highest-ranking explorers at Wigglytuff's guild."

Almond turned to Janeway, "Captain, can Quartz and Constellation stay with us until we find a way home?"

"Of course.", Janeway assured.

"Thank you, captain.", Almond said.

"I hate to interrupt…", the Doctor chimed in, "But may I scan the newcomers to check that they weren't hurt and to collect data?", he turned to look at Quartz and Constellation, "It completely safe. You won't feel a thing."

The Umbreon and Rattata exchanged glances, and then turned to look at Almomd, who nodded reassuringly.

"Sure.", Constellation said. The doctor removed the hand scanner from his medical tricorder, and passed it over Constellation, and then Quartz.

"Both of you appear to be in perfect health.", the Doctor proclaimed, "Now, I would like to collect some data on your physiology."

The Doctor reached for a cube shaped device with a lens on one side, "This is called a bioscanner.", the Doctor explained. Placing it on the ground in front of the two Pokemon, he instructed them to hold still as he began the analysis.

"How old are the two of you?", the Doctor inquired.

"I'm 25", Constellation said, "and Quartz is 19. Same age as Almond."

"Pokemon brains seem to develop much faster than most humanoid brains. The nervous systems of both you, and Almond, seem to have reached a much higher level of sophistication compared to a human at the same age. The wisdom of an old man in a much more youthful body.", the Doctor cheerfully commented as he read the data being sent to his tricorder.

A beep from the bioscanner indicated that it had completed its data collection.

"I will analyse the bioscans.", the Doctor said as he lifted the scanner, "In the meantime, you're free to explore the ship."

Captain Janeway nodded.

"And, Doctor…", Constellation said, "Sorry for my outburst earlier."

The Doctor smiled, "No need to apologize. You were in an unfamiliar environment and your first instinct was to defend yourself and your friend. It's perfectly understandable."

"Come on!", Almond said to Quartz and Constellation, "I'll give you a tour of the ship, and introduce you to the crew!"


	11. Chapter 11: Catching Up

The chattering of crew members filled the mess hall as the dinner rush began. Neelix walked cheerfully from one table to another, serving up food and chatting with his patrons. Almond, Quartz and Constellation found themselves an unoccupied table and sat down.

"I guess we should feel lucky we ended up here and not some hostile alien's ship.", Quartz said. The other two Pokemon nodded in agreement.

"Almond, thanks for showing us around.", Constellation said.

"No problem!", Almond said, "So, what's been happening in our world while I was gone? How's the guild?"

"Worried about you.", Quartz answered, "The guild, your friends in Treasure Town, everyone's been wondering where you are, if you're okay. I guess they're worried about all three of us now."

"I'm sure we'll find a way home.", Almond said confidently, "Seven of Nine and I have been studying the subspace displacement field that brought us here, and we're trying to see if we can create one ourselves that will lead back to our world."

"Speaking of Seven of Nine, don't you find her a bit odd? Especially the way she speaks.", Quartz said.

"She was assimilated by the Borg.", Almond explained, "Remember those legends about the ancient humans in our world, how they supposedly used to capture Pokemon and force them to battle? That's kind of what happened to Seven. The Borg are a hostile race that turned her into one of their own kind, and she was forced to do the same to other creatures. She was like this for so long she forgot how to act and speak like a human, and she's still learning those skills. Don't be scared of her, she's a lot nicer than she looks."

"I guess we should also be glad these aren't the same humans those legends tell of.", Constellation commented.

"When I first came aboard, those legends definitely crossed my mind.", Almond said, "I'm glad they were wrong. Anyway, what has been happening at the guild?"

"Well, other than searching for you, it's been mostly the same routine.", Constellation said, "My younger sister joined the guild a few days ago, though."

"Corona?", Almond asked, "Wasn't she working at the Kecleon's shop?"

"Yeah, but she decided that she wants to at least try being an explorer."

"Hey, with you guiding her I'm sure she'll do fine.", Almond complemented.

"She's also thinking of evolving into a Flareon."

"How old is she again?"

"About five months younger than you. She's turning nineteen in a week, actually."

"And she's already thinking about evolving? I haven't even started considering it yet."

"I agree it's a bit earlier than most Pokemon, but I doubt she's going to go and buy a Fire Stone right this moment."

"Hey, if she wants to evolve into a Flareon, I say she should go for it!", Almond said.

"Wow, Almond, biased much?", Quartz laughed.

"Fire-types have to support each other!", Almond joked, "What do you want her to evolve into?"

"Well, if I were to follow your logic, I'd tell her to stay as an Eevee. Normal types have to support each other!", Quartz retorted sarcastically. All three Pokemon burst out laughing.

"Are we interrupting?", the Pokemon heard the Doctor. They turned to see him walking up to their table with Captain Janeway beside him.

"Not at all!", Almond replied as the captain and doctor sat at the table beside them.

"How are you all doing?", the captain asked.

"We're doing great!", Almond said, the other two Pokemon nodded.

"Glad to hear it.", the captain said.

"I have analysed your bioscans.", the Doctor added, "All of you have fascinating and unique physiologies. If I may, I would like you to discuss my findings with you. You could fill in some of the blanks."

"Sure!", Quartz replied, Almond and Constellation smiled in agreement.

"Thank you.", the Doctor said, "First off, I would like to describe your physiologies. Please chime in to make corrections or clarifications as you see fit. Quartz, physiology seems to share some similarities with rodent species in this dimension, but there is a lot about you that is unique. Your front teeth for example, is not calcium-based like normal bones, but is made of a material containing Kemocite. You are capable of biting through much stronger materials compared to other Pokemon. Also, your whiskers can detect even extremely slight changes in environmental conditions. I'm assuming this serves as an early warning system against adversaries."

"That's right!", Quartz said.

"Constellation,", the Doctor continued, "your DNA is most fascinating. I have identified nine different genomes in your cells, but only one is currently active."

"Constellation is an Eeveelution. She can evolve into one of eight different forms.", Quartz added.

"Indeed.", the Doctor said, "I have also noticed that her DNA is much more prone to alteration by environmental factors than any other complex organism I've seen. The genes responsible for evolution is much more complex than the other two Pokemon, and exists on its own chromosome, separate from the nine genomes. This chromosome also codes for mechanisms that allow her body to be extremely tolerant of these mutations. I have found evidence that 'Eeveelutions' didn't always have nine forms to evolve into, but that these forms arose over time due to the species' unstable DNA. It is likely that we will see new forms of Eeveelutions in the future."

"Do 'Eeveelutions' choose what species they evolve into?", the captain asked.

"Yeah, it's often considered one of the most important decisions an Eevee makes.", Constellation said, "But getting the evolution you want can be complicated. Some forms can be reliably attained if you have the correct evolutionary stone, but other forms are dependent on environmental and even psychological factors at the time of evolution. It's not unheard of for an Eevee to evolve into a different form than what they had hoped for."

"'Eevee'?", the Doctor asked, "I'm assuming that's an abbreviation for 'Eeveelution?"

"It's actually the name of the unevolved form of an Eeveelution. The name 'Eeveelution' came after the name 'Eevee'."

"If you don't mind my asking, did you evolve into the form you wanted?", Janeway asked.

"I guess so. I never really had my heart set on a single form, but I loved watching the moon and the stars as an Eevee, I still do, actually. I stayed out at night a lot, and the Umbreon form is partially invoked by exposure to moonlight. Umbreons are primarily nocturnal and can see even in complete darkness, so it's a good fit for me."

"Wait, I thought that Pokemon evolution process was activated by special stones that exist in your realm.", Janeway said.

"Some evolutions are stone-based, but not all of them.", Constellation explained, "For example, Almond is a Vulpix, and her evolved form can only be invoked by a Fire Stone. Quartz is a Rattata and evolves by a process we call 'leveling up'. Basically, his evolved form is invoked by a combination of age, experience and learned skills. Depending on the form, an Eevee can either evolve with the correct stone, or by leveling up under certain conditions, like during the night for example."

"Fascinating.", the Doctor said, "I am currently running an analysis of how the evolution processes of our Pokemon guests work. I am also trying to extrapolate what their evolved forms may look like. I must say, Captain, the way that Pokemon evolution changes the physiology of existing cells means that the mechanism can be used to design more reliable gene therapies."

The captain smiled, "Doctor, I will leave the exobiology and genetic aspects of our Pokemon friends in your capable hands."

Later that night, the Pokemon entered Almond's quarters. Captain Janeway had asked Almond if she was willing to share her quarters with the other Pokemon, which she happily agreed. They entered to find that there was now three pillows and three folded blankets on the bed, dividing it into thirds along its length.

"This is where we're we'll be staying.", Almond introduced.

"It's nice! It reminds me of the rooms at the guild, just a lot more advanced.", Quartz said. Constellation nodded. The trio climbed onto the bed, each taking a pillow and wrapping themselves up in a blanket.

"This was a crazy day, wasn't it.", Quartz said.

"Yeah.", Constellation replied, "But I can't really say it was a bad day. We found Almond, and everyone on this ship seems nice."

"When we fell through the portal, we could have ended up in a lot worse places in this realm.", Almond added.

"As long as we're here, I say we see it as an opportunity to learn about this dimension. We wouldn't be very good explorers if we came here and went home having avoided anything new.", Quartz suggested.

"Like our guild's cheer says, 'smiles go for miles'.", Constellation replied.

"And maybe even light years.", Almond added.


	12. Chapter 12: Trial and Error

"The emitters have been configured to produce tachyons.", Seven of Nine stated as she stood in front of a control panel in the ship's science lab, with Almond sitting atop the panel beside her.

"We are ready to begin the experiment.", Seven continued, "Almond, when and if a tachyon displacement field forms, begin continuous sensor scans.", Almond nodded. In front of them, two metallic columns stood, connected to the console they were operating. A series of translucent rings were attached to the columns at regular intervals, which glowed a dim cyan.

"Almond?", a voice called out from behind Almond and Seven of Nine. They turned to see Quartz and Constellation entering the room.

"Hey guys!", Almond said cheerfully.

"The captain said that you and Seven come here every morning.", Quartz said, "What are you doing?"

"We are attempting to create a tachyon displacement field.", Seven explained, "If we are successful, it will be a first step in reaching your realm."

"Really? Can we help?", Constellation said.

"At the moment, your knowledge of this phenomenon is insufficient. You may observe for now. When you become more familiar with our technology, you may assist if you choose.", Seven stated, "Almond, are you prepared?"

"Yep!", Almond said, "Sensors are on standby."

"Activating the tachyon emitters.", Seven stated. The translucent components on the metallic devices began to glow brightly as Seven typed into the console. Soon after, a piercing white light began to shine in the exact center of the space between the two emitter arrays. The light came from an infinitesimally small point but illuminated the entire room.

"A partial displacement field is forming!", Almond said excitedly, "It's not pointing to anywhere else, but it could!"

"I am increasing the tachyon density.", Seven of Nine said. The point of light began to flicker, and suddenly stretched into a line connecting both emitter arrays. An instant later, the light disappeared as sparks flew from the emitters and smoke bellowed from the console.

"What happened?", Almond asked. Seven walked over to examine the data the Almond had collected.

"I believe the partial displacement field destabilized when the tachyon density was increased.", Seven said.

"But we need to increase the density to turn it into a full displacement field!", Almond said worriedly.

"We will adapt.", Seven reassured her, "I will analyse the collected data and repair the emitters. You should take a break, I will call you when your assistance is needed."

"Thanks, Seven.", Almond said as she leapt off the console.

"You're welcome.", Seven replied as Almond and the other Pokemon left the science lab.

In her quarters, Almond sat at the small table on the side of the room, reading her tricorder.

"Hi, Almond. What are you reading?", Quartz said as he entered.

"I'm taking a virtual course that Seven recommended."

"Virtual course?"

"I'm reading a textbook, and I have to complete practice problems and a quiz at the end of each chapter."

"'Introduction to Spatial and Temporal Mechanics'?", Quartz said with bewilderment as he read the title of Almond's textbook.

"Seven said it's relevant to our situation."

"Can I take a look?"

"Sure!", Almond said as she showed Quartz her tricorder.

"Let's see…", Quartz read from the page that Almond had open, "'Each spatial subunit connects to neighboring subunits through subspace entanglement, allowing for the propagation of causation events from one location to another. The speed of propagation is regulated by the temporal matrix underlying all spatial subunits, allowing for events to occur sequentially and at different rates…'? What?"

"It can be confusing sometimes, but so far I have managed to understand most of it, with the help of searching the humans' database when I don't understand a word or phrase."

"It might as well be written in language of the Unown, or some other ancient hieroglyphic! Why would you bother trying to learn this?"

"I thought we're explorers, Quartz."

"We are, but we explore the real world, not abstract concepts."

"These 'abstract concepts' define the real world! I think the first sentences of the textbook explains it beautifully.", Almond pressed a few buttons on her tricorder to flip to the first page, and read aloud: "'Spacetime is the foundation upon which all complexity arises. If the universe is a garden, space is the soil into which plants affix their roots, and time is the wind and rain, allowing the plants to grow, to change. To understand spacetime is to understand ourselves and the universe we live in, to understand existence.'"

"Okay?", Quartz said.

"This is what I've always been interested in! I became an explorer in hopes of understanding the world, and now I have the chance! Look around you, Quartz. All this technology came from humans striving to understand the realm they live in. Too bad Pokemon don't have that desire."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember the incident with the time gears?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember how the time gears, which control the flow of time in our world, were becoming misaligned, and how an exploration team at our guild prevented a temporal disaster from occurring and restored the flow of time?"

"The team with the human who was turned into a Pokemon, right?"

"Yeah. And after they had repaired the flow of time, everything returned to normal and we never really speak of it anymore."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"The fact that our realm is no longer facing temporal oblivion is obviously a good thing, but what about our response to it? After the world was saved, we never looked into the phenomenon again. The list of things we know about how time works is much shorter than the list of things we know that we don't know, yet we never try to learn more about it! Even the exploration team that repaired time decided that they didn't want to continue investigating the science behind it."

"After all that they've been through, I don't blame them."

"Neither do I, but what about everyone else? That event intrigued me, and eventually led me to joining Wigglytuff's guild. I had hoped that I would be able to learn more about how the universe works, but all that any Pokemon have to go on is legends and folklore, until now! This is the opportunity I had always dreamed of, a chance to truly learn about space and time!"

"But why? Is it just for curiosity? You probably won't reach Seven of Nine's level of knowledge, and you won't be able to apply what you've learned once we return to our world."

"Why not?", Almond said with confusion.

"Because we don't have this kind of technology! We can't manipulate spacetime like the humans can!"

"Does that mean we'll never have this technology? Honestly, with the way Pokemon treat new discoveries, probably. Have you ever been to the ancient ruins supposedly built by the humans in our world? There are all sorts of amazing machinery there, some of them resembling what exists on this ship! But they're ignored, even feared by the local Pokemon. No one has ever considered trying to find out how the machinery works, or if any of the technologies contained in them can be used to our advantage. They're just left to rot!"

"Almond! You've heard the legends about the ancient humans, right? 'Nice to Pokemon' isn't a phrase that's used to describe them, and we have to assume their technology is just as evil! Who knows what kinds of horrors are in those machines! What if you accidentally stepped on one of those orbs the humans used to trap Pokemon, or released some sort of poison into the air? I'm not saying that the humans on this ship are evil, but the ones in our world definitely are, or at least they were in the past!"

"Technology can't be good or evil, only the users of technology can. Besides, there's no proof that those legends are even true. The Pokemon at our guild who used to be human has been nothing but helpful and kind to everyone. I put more faith in what I see than in legends from who knows how long ago. At least we know that either some humans were 'nice to Pokemon', or they cleaned up their act over time."

"Too bad the human doesn't remember anything about the machinery found in those ancient ruins, or he could have helped us make use of those technologies."

"Maybe not, but I will remember things about this world. Maybe, just maybe, I can help to inspire technological development in our world."

"You know what? I hope you're right, but just promise me you'll be careful."

"I will."

"Seven of Nine to Almond.", the sound of Almond's combadge interrupted their conversation.

Almond tapped on her badge, "Go ahead, Seven."

"I have repaired the tachyon emitter arrays. We are ready to begin another test."

"I'm on my way!", Almond said excitedly, "Quartz, want to join me?"

"Sure.", Quartz said, feeling Almond's curiosity about this realm radiate to him, at least a tiny bit.


	13. Chapter 13: Assimilation

"I swear, doc, I'm about to drop from heat exhaustion.", Tom Paris complained as the away team marched along the desolate, sand covered surface of the planet.

"The temperature on this planet is high, but it is by no means dangerous to human physiology.", the Doctor interjected.

"What I wouldn't give to be a fire-type Pokemon right now.", Tom said, "Almond, how high a temperature can you withstand?"

"I'm not sure how to describe it in your measurement units…", Almond replied, walking behind Tom Paris and the Doctor.

"From my bioscans, about two thousand degrees Celsius.", the Doctor added.

"Almond, didn't you say that some Vulpix were ice-types?", Tom Paris asked.

"Yeah.", Almond replied.

"It's caused by mutations in the genes responsible for forming the flame organs and temperature regulation mechanisms.", the Doctor explained, "Instead of producing a flammable fuel, a compound that lowers the temperature of its surroundings is produced. Additional mutations allow an ice-type Vulpix's body to tolerate low temperatures instead of high temperatures."

"Too bad Almond isn't one of those. She could have been our air conditioner.", Tom Paris said.

"Almond actually does carry the ice-type genes, but only on one of the two chromosomes. Since those genes are recessive, Almond does not have ice-type traits.", the Doctor added.

"Think you can activate those genes, Doc? Just for this mission?", Tom joked.

"We should return our attention to the task at hand: searching for dilithium.", Seven of Nine interrupted.

"Hey! What's that?", Constellation said in surprise. The group turned to see her pointing to a dark colored object in the distance.

"It might be an artificial structure of some kind.", Seven stated.

"I thought you said this planet is uninhabited.", Tom inquired.

"I did, and it is. I am reading no life signs, but there is a weak energy signature.", Seven said as she looked at her tricorder, "Whatever it is, it's been abandoned."

"Should we go there? Find out what it is?", Quartz said.

"Fine by me.", Tom said as the group walked toward the structure. As they approached, they could see black, metallic debris scattered in the sand, leading back to a large, heavily damaged spherical object.

"A Borg scout ship.", Seven stated, "They are very small vessels used for mapping transwarp lanes and other non-tactical functions." The thought of the Borg brought a cloud of uneasiness into the otherwise clear sky.

"There's someone here!", Quartz exclaimed as the rest of the away team ran toward him. A humanoid figure was hidden behind a large debris fragment. The creature was clad in heavy metallic armor, its skin a sickly grayish-white and dotted by dark gray spots. The creature laid in the sand with its eyes closed and did not respond as the Rattata inched closer.

"A Borg drone.", Seven stated as she scanned the creature with her tricorder, "It's dead, but its cybernetic components are still receiving auxiliary power."

"Paris to Voyager.", Tom spoke into his combadge.

"Go ahead, Tom.", the voice of Captain Janeway could be heard.

"We've found the wreckage of a Borg vessel, and the corpse of a drone. Should we keep investigating?"

"Get back to the ship for now. We'll send away teams to investigate, but not until we've ran scans and know what we're dealing with. Voyager is moving into transporter range, stand by to beam up.", the captain instructed.

As the crew waited, Almond eyed the Borg technology with curiosity. Slowly, she made her way to the drone and examined the cybernetic devices on its right arm, being careful not to touch anything.

"We're in range.", the voice of the captain was heard.

"Six to beam up.", Tom Paris replied. A moment later, the transport process began.

The last thing Almond felt was the sudden pain of two assimilation tubules piercing her neck.

The away team saw Almond collapsed on the transporter platform, gripping her head in pain. The doctor quickly flipped open his tricorder and waved the hand scanner above Almond.

"I'm detecting Borg nanoprobes in her blood stream!", the Doctor shouted, slightly panicked, "She's been assimilated by the drone we found!"

"I thought Seven said the drone was dead!", Constellation shouted.

"It is dead, but some of its Borg components were still active. Almond's proximity to the corpse must have activated a pre-programmed assimilation subroutine!", the Doctor responded.

"Paris to the bridge! Almond's been assimilated! We need a security team to transporter room one!", Tom shouted into his combadge.

"Everyone stay away! A Borg drone is dangerous!", Seven of Nine shouted, realizing that the other two Pokemon were approaching Almond to comfort her. They could see metal pieces sprouting from Almond's skin.

The Vulpix fell limp for a second before standing back up. Her eyes opened as she stared at the away team.

"Phasers on stun!", Tom Paris shouted as he reached for his firearm. Tom and Seven shot at Almond, but their phaser beams were defected by a greenish aura that had formed around Almond.

"Her Borg shielding has already been initialized!", Seven shouted, "Everyone clear the area!"

Almond was left behind in the transporter room as the away team ran for the door. A second later, flashes of light appeared as force fields surrounded the room. Almond, having grown more Borg implants and with black colored armor starting to cover her body, calmly walked toward the door. Piercing a nearby control panel with the assimilation tubules in her right paw, the door opened effortlessly. Bright flashes appeared in the doorway as she walked through the force field without even flinching.

Almond was greeted by Tuvok and a security team. The crew members were armed with large phaser rifles. One crewman shot at Almond, but the phaser beam was deflected.

"Set your weapons to a rotating modulation.", Tuvok informed. Another phaser beam struck Almond, this time causing her to stumble, but the third shot little more effect compared to the first.

Almond silently walked past the security personnel, who instinctively jumped out of the way as she approached. A visor was sprouting from her forehead, which grew to cover her right eye. The new implant glowed as it activated itself, and a red laser emanated from a small lens beside her eye.

Quartz and Constellation ran down a long corridor with Seven of Nine, but stopped abruptly as they saw Almond rounding the corner some distance in front of them.

"Almond!", Constellation shouted, "What are you doing?! Don't you recognize us?"

"You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.", Almond responded, her voice raspy and distorted. The cheerful and curious face that Almond usually wore was replaced by an unnaturally neutral and emotionless expression. The fox Pokemon looked like she was already dead.

"This isn't you, Almond! We're your friends, you don't have to do this!", Quartz tried to reason with the creature standing in front of them, the creature that used to be his exploration team partner, "You have to fight it! Be yourself, not some drone in a collective!"

"I am Borg.", was the Vulpix's only response.


End file.
